Syrian groups urge action from Trump

Save Our Syria, a coalition of Syrian civil society groups, on Wednesday called on Donald Trump, the president-elect, to take military action in Syria against the Bashar al-Assad regime.  

{mosads}“Today, we hope that President-elect Trump will prove his many critics wrong, and come to the aid of the Syrian people,” said Mutasem Alsyofi, executive director of the Day After Project.  

“Neither we, nor the American people, can afford another four years of failing Syria policy. President Trump will now be in the position to change U.S. policy for the better — we hope he demonstrates the courage and foresight needed to do so,” he added. 

On the campaign trail, Trump had expressed various, sometimes contradictory, views on the Syrian civil war. Early on, he suggested the U.S. should stay out of the conflict and expressed support for Syrian President al-Assad, who has waged a brutal military campaign against anti-regime rebels and activists. 

“I look at Assad, and Assad to me looks better than the other side,” he said in September 2015. “And you know, this has happened before. We back a certain side, and that side turns out to be a total catastrophe. Russia likes Assad, seemingly, a lot — let them worry about [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria]. Let them fight it out.” 

Two months later, he pledged to build a safe zone in Syria, an idea that U.S. military officials have said would essentially mean war against Assad and possibly Russian troops backing him, since the U.S. and its allies would have to enforce the zone. 

“What I like is build a safe zone. It’s here — build a big, beautiful safe zone and you have whatever it is so people can live, and they’ll be happier,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Tennessee in November 2015.  

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton had also vowed to create safe zones in Syria for refugees fleeing the violence. The Obama administration had staunchly opposed direct military intervention against Assad in order to avoid the risk of getting bogged down in a new war against Syria and potentially Russia. 

Alsyofi called on Trump to go further than a safe zone, which would be limited to one or more parts of Syria, and implement a nationwide no-fly zone.

“Only by adopting a comprehensive approach to Syria will President-elect Trump succeed where President Obama failed: eradicating the terrorist threat, effectively stemming the refugee crisis, and achieving the political solution which Syrians crave,” he said. 

“Critical to this approach is prudent and limited military action through the enforcement of a nationwide no-bomb zone that will deter the killing of civilians, and stop the bombs that target Syrian schools, hospitals and homes,” he said.

The Syrian coalition acknowledged some of Trump’s previous remarks, but nonetheless called on him to change his mind as president. 

“Unfortunately, candidate Trump outlined a Syria policy that was strikingly similar to President Obama’s — a tired, failed policy based on bombing ISIS without tackling the root cause of the Syrian crisis: Assad’s indiscriminate violence and his targeting of civilians,” said Assaad al Achi, executive director of Baytna Syria.

“If President-elect Trump wants to restore American greatness, he will have to adopt a comprehensive approach to the Syrian crisis, based on taking the bold steps needed to protect Syrian civilians and lay the basis for a political solution. Such a solution will not be found through the appeasement of Assad or his Russian allies—it can only be achieved by demonstrating genuine US leadership and action in favor of Syrians’ calls for freedom and democracy.”