Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the U.S. has pledged an additional $60 million to the Syrian opposition, which includes non-lethal aid (food rations, medical supplies) to the Free Syrian Army -- the first such American aid to the opposition's military.
Duke political scientist Abdeslam Maghraoui argues that with a sectarian conflict already raging in the country, U.S. support comes too late, and it's unlikely a secular pro-Western government will emerge.
Abdeslam MaghraouiDirector of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Political Science, Duke Universityaem35@duke.eduhttp://polisci.duke.edu/people?subpage=profile&Gurl=%2Faas%2FPoliticalSc
Maghraoui specializes in political identity, political culture, and Islam and politics, with a focus on North Africa and the Middle East.
Quote: "The conflict in Syria today has taken a direction where it is hard to imagine a resolution without international interference. Yet the question is whether a decision by the U.S. to support the opposition with non-lethal aid -- or even arm the opposition -- would really change the outcome. The conflict has taken a sectarian turn and the influence of radical Islamic elements among the armed opposition is growing. This predicament was avoidable.The Assad regime did everything it could to transform the uprisings into a sectarian conflict. The regime's Alawite-dominated security forces and armed civilian militias targeted Sunni towns, communities and neighborhoods to ignite civil strife. While hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed or forced to flee, Western powers were busy talking about pressuring the Syrian government to negotiate."There were two problems: First, Assad was getting financial and military support from Iran and Russia and, second, his regime was immune to political pressure because it had already adopted the political tactics of a militia."With no alternative, the secular opposition in Syria had to seek allies among religious groups who were receiving financial support and military equipment from the Saudis."The question of whether the U.S. should provide support to an armed opposition where Islamists, possibly Salafists, play a dominant role is two years too late. Now, it is very unlikely that a secular, pro-Western government will emerge after the likely imminent departure of Assad, no matter what the U.S. does now."