Probably even without ISIS, the different faction will fight to the end, whatever the end might be.
Why Tackling Islamic State Won't Mean an End to the Syrian War
Donna Abu-Nasr DonnaAN1
Mike Dorning mikedorning
November 19, 2015 — 2:01 PM PST
The Islamic State attacks in Paris have accelerated international efforts to resolve the civil war in Syria that helped spawn the extremist group’s rise. Yet after more than four and a half years, the obstacles remain the same.
A deal among 17 nations in Vienna on Nov. 14 offered a time line for Syrian opposition groups to help draft a constitution and elect a new government by 2017. The agreement, which included Iran and Russia, means that a cease-fire is obtainable within weeks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a few days later.
John Kerry, Staffan de Mistura and Sergei Lavrov address the media after the meeting in Vienna
Photographer: Vladimir Simicek/AFP/Getty Images
But with so many protagonists, conflicting military strategies and the ever-present sectarian divide within Syria, that optimism seems premature. The biggest sticking point remains the fate of President Bashar al-Assad. Further, the cease-fire wouldn’t apply to efforts to defeat Islamic State, Nusra Front insurgents or other groups still to be identified as terrorists.
"There’s a lot of wishful thinking going on here,” Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy in Washington. “Hope is nice, but when it’s not based on much evidence on the ground, you have to wonder.”
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Why Tackling Islamic State Won't Mean an End to the Syrian War
Why Tackling Islamic State Won't Mean an End to the Syrian War
Donna Abu-Nasr DonnaAN1
Mike Dorning mikedorning
November 19, 2015 — 2:01 PM PST
The Islamic State attacks in Paris have accelerated international efforts to resolve the civil war in Syria that helped spawn the extremist group’s rise. Yet after more than four and a half years, the obstacles remain the same.
A deal among 17 nations in Vienna on Nov. 14 offered a time line for Syrian opposition groups to help draft a constitution and elect a new government by 2017. The agreement, which included Iran and Russia, means that a cease-fire is obtainable within weeks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a few days later.
John Kerry, Staffan de Mistura and Sergei Lavrov address the media after the meeting in Vienna
Photographer: Vladimir Simicek/AFP/Getty Images
But with so many protagonists, conflicting military strategies and the ever-present sectarian divide within Syria, that optimism seems premature. The biggest sticking point remains the fate of President Bashar al-Assad. Further, the cease-fire wouldn’t apply to efforts to defeat Islamic State, Nusra Front insurgents or other groups still to be identified as terrorists.
"There’s a lot of wishful thinking going on here,” Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy in Washington. “Hope is nice, but when it’s not based on much evidence on the ground, you have to wonder.”
Continue reading at:
Why Tackling Islamic State Won't Mean an End to the Syrian War