Epstein Secrets

s" in the Syrian city of Daraa "with government forces and former rebels clashing amid a wave of assassinations, revealing the difficulty President Bashar al-Assad faces in maintaining control over areas he says he has pacified." The Post says the violence in the city is "eroding the image Assad has tried to po

dent Bashar al-Assad faces in maintaining control over areas he says he has pacified." The Post says the violence in the city is "eroding the image Assad has tried to portray as he urges Syrians who fled the country to return home to government-controlled territory. He has promised that no harm will b

ts Biden "stressed his plans for a foreign policy based on the United States taking a global leadership role and strengthening its alliances in the Asia-Pacific region after four turbulent years under President Donald Trump." Biden "said his selection for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, would rebuild mor

, the question may well be redundant because military intervention is already taking place in a variety of ways. Russia and Iran continue to supply Bashar Al-Assad's forces with arms and military advice, while elements of Lebanese Hezbollah may also be involved in fighting anti-Assad units. At the other end of

folly of a `game- changing' intervention. Such a course of action must have the magnitude to tip the balance in favor of the rebels and accelerate Assad's downfall. Those opposed to intervention represent a spectrum of opinions. Some are pacifists who oppose all wars. Others are political orphans o

uries, Asian nations spent more on military force than European countries. If the US is going to devote more of a declining military budget towards Asia-Pacific, Uncle Sam's presence in Europe and the Middle East must clearly diminish. Perhaps it doesn't matter? The threat of a land invasion of continental

should attend the Geneva meetings is a straightforward and emphatic "yes", because Iran's assistance to the Syrian government headed by President Bashar al-Assad is crucial for keeping the Damascus government in place. Yet nothing is easy when it comes to finding a diplomatic solution to the war in Syria, be

rs, and is part of, its wider positioning and influence across the Middle East, so it is deeply invested in the current and future condition of the Assad government. Iran has shown beyond doubt that it is prepared to go to great EFTA_R1_02211 207 EFTA02724380 lengths and expend much money, arms, t

well as in the Iran nuclear talks and the Israeli-Palestinian saga. The US also remains the main guarantor of the security arrangements of Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. And yet, America under President Obama is clearly more reluctant actually to use its military muscle. When Congress debated m

clipse the regional and international focus on Syria, where hundreds of people have been slaughtered on a daily basis for the past year and a half. Assad will likely exploit this by ratcheting up his brutality against Syrian rebels and civilians while eyes are gazed elsewhere. While the course of Ope

ghanistan, Mr Obama's big first-term goal was to close the military accounts in the Muslim world so that the US could refocus its attention on the Asia-Pacific region. The US troop presence in Afghanistan concludes in 2014. But the scaling down there and in Iraq has already freed up resources to go east.

olicy. But the issue 1s deeper than that. The Obama administration has declared it HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_027109 --- PAGE BREAK --- wants to focus on the Asia-Pacific region and, surprisingly, it means what it says. Only a year after troops withdrew from Iraq, that country is not talked about in Washington, like a

HT_027122 --- PAGE BREAK --- states, such as Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. I think it is likely to happen before too long. TB: What about Syria? DP: Assad’s power is steadily diminishing and I cannot see how his regime will remain long in power. TB: Should the United States get involved there? DP: No,