The Case Against an Alliance With Assad

The Case Against an Alliance With Assad

December 2, 2014 Heiko Wimmen

Realpolitik, rather than ethics, provides the most powerful arguments against the growing calls to forge a deal with the Syrian regime.

http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2014/12/02/case-against-alliance-with-assad/hvru?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRokvavLZKXonjHpfsX57eUuUaeg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YEGScd0aPyQAgobGp5I5FEIQ7XYTLB2t60MWA%3D%3D

As the Islamic State (IS) has made dramatic military advances over the past few months, speculation has been growing that the regime of Bashar al-Assad might be eligible for gradual rehabilitation. As none of the countries who signed up to the U.S.-led alliance against the organization will put boots on the ground, the drive to cooperate with just about any of the local and regional actors who do is gaining momentum. And because the alliance’s preferred partners are either in disarray (like the Iraqi army), restricted to certain areas (like the Kurdish peshmerga), or barely capable of holding their ground (like Free Syrian Army), the Syrian regime’s success against IS could make the case for bringing Assad back in from the cold.