Blocking Democracy as Syria’s Solution

Exclusive: The long-cherished neocon dream of
“regime change” in Syria is blocking a possible route out of the crisis
– a ceasefire followed by elections in which President Assad could
compete. The problem is there’s no guarantee that Assad would lose and
thus the dream might go unfulfilled, writes Robert Parry.

By Robert Parry

The
solution to the crisis in Syria could be democracy – letting the people
of Syria decide who they want as their leaders – but it is the Obama
administration and its regional Sunni “allies,” including U.S.-armed
militants and jihadists, that don’t want to risk a democratic solution
because it might not achieve the long-held goal of “regime change.”

Some
Syrian opposition forces, which were brought together under the
auspices of the Saudi monarchy in Riyadh this past week, didn’t even
want the word “democracy” included in their joint statement. The New
York Times reported
on Friday, “Islamist delegates objected to using the word ‘democracy’
in the final statement, so the term ‘democratic mechanism’ was used
instead, according to a member of one such group who attended the
meeting.”

Secretary of State John Kerry at a press conference on Dec. 4, 2015. (State Department photo)