Russia's involvement in Syria has brought Washington's controversial foreign policy into the spotlight, US political analyst Phil Butler noted.
"The situation in Syria and Russia's inevitably brisk actions there have suddenly catapulted it to the geostrategic forefront. This festering sore has so far been hidden from most Americans, but now there’s a new terror on our faces, the realization we must save face, or at least exit the theater with dignity," the analyst emphasized in his article for New Eastern Outlook.
According to Butler, Washington is now on the horns of dilemma. The Obama administration has at least four strategies to deal with the Syrian problem.
First, the US could join Russia, Iran, and the legitimate Syrian government to clear out the jihadists and ISIL. Such a move would have opened doors for legitimate and constructive talks between all the parties involved. Alas, this will not happen, Butler remarked.
Second, Washington and its allies could just allow Russia to eradicate terrorists in the region. "This won't happen, the powers that be have spent too much on this already," the analyst pointed out.
"A third strategy exists if the United States, NATO, and other allies are prepared for all-out war with Russia and her allies, including China," he suggested, adding, that this is still the least likely contingency.
So what will Washington's warmongers do to save their face and escape from the current political cul-de-sac?
"Finally, we have the strategy we are seeing take shape now, one of revisiting the Soviet-Afghanistan conflict which Brzezinski and the Carter administration masterminded. This process is already underway. President Obama and Congress have just made high profile announcements that the policy of arming insurgents in Syria will end now that the Russians are really killing jihadists," the analyst elaborated.
Alas, those who have hastened to grasp the opportunity to repeat old Reagan's strategy of arming Islamists have apparently forgotten that this is not 1980, that Americans know about the CIA arming Osama bin Laden, that WikiLeaks is up and running, and that US citizens are aware that "the NSA has spied on us all," Butler noted with a touch of irony.
So far, there is a fifth plan: to impeach the President and his team, the analyst hinted.
"Could Congress indict this president over the NSA’s activities, Guantanamo or other illegal prisons, CIA or State Department meddling on foreign soil, or simply foreknowledge of Hillary Clinton’s dealings? This is a matter for our representatives to sort out. But the matter before the people is simpler. Does America want to maintain her rightful position among the world’s countries? If the answer is “yes,” then impeaching Obama is the only guaranteed way to bring our system back in line. Any other solution will have a predictably negative outcome," Butler underscored.
