West Should Play on Assad's Terms to Defeat Int’l Terrorism – French Media

Having wasted four and a half years and witnessed the death of hundreds of thousands of people in Syria, the West is beginning to gradually shift its stance towards Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and contemplate an international anti-terrorist campaign together with the Syrian Army, Yves Jeanclos wrote for Le Huffington Post.

By talking about a military operation against Islamic terrorists in Syria, the West essentially is repeating the words of al-Assad from four years ago.

"To talk about a joint military action with the Syrian Army means to kneel down in front of Damascus in the interests of a war and subsequent peace," the author said, as cited by Le Huffington Post.

Working together with the Assad government would be a wise political decision. The formation of a united front to defeat jihadists in the Middle East, Africa and even in Europe is an essential step that the world must take. A path to victory over consolidating international terrorism requires a centralized organization of international security with the participation of the United States, Russia, China, India and the EU, Jeanclos said.

"Coordination of coalition forces led by the USA and the Russian Army is the only solution to achieve military and political success," the author said, as quoted by Le Huffington Post.

The international community needs decisive steps, such as the elimination or transformation of the UN system, as the existing modus operandi has clearly failed to effectively deal with new global threats. This should be a new goal of the world's super powers in the 21^st Century — the only way peace and security would be restored, leading to a harmonious development of mankind, the author argued.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with the army loyal to Assad fighting several opposition factions and militant groups, including the al-Nusra Front and Daesh, also known as ISIL, outlawed in Russia and many other countries.