Let down in Syria

Quite some optimism was generated by the Russian initiative to create the so-called de-escalation zones in Syria. It was thought that this initial step might eventually lead to a cessation of fire in the entire country. 

A closer look at the situation, however, suggests that nothing of the sort happened. If anything, the fighting goes on practically everywhere, with the Syrian army undertaking offensives on many fronts, including in the direction of Daraa, quite close to the Jordanian border.

The idea of creating de-escalation zones lacked a determined follow up. The momentum of the plan got bogged down as no additional steps were taken by any side to advance it.

The initiative to stop hostilities in some parts of the country was doomed to fail from the very beginning. A raging fire burns everything in its way, unselectively and clearly blind to “ideas” and good intentions.

The way to go is to stop the fighting in the entire country, but terrorist groups chased out of much of Iraq and Syria will only fight more fiercely for every corner of land they still rule over, so that is a goal more difficult to achieve.

And since that is impossible for now, the safe zones are still a possibility that needs to be considered.

They would, at least, give some respite to the beleaguered population and eventually make it possible for refugees to return, lifting some of the burden off the shoulders of host countries.

It would be even crueller, given that the people were allowed to believe that some normalcy would return to their lives, to see the war rekindled, instead of being brought to an end, after six years of devastation.

Moscow, Washington and every other player on the Syrian stage should put aside differences and seek to put an end to the suffering of the Syrian population by ending their rivalries and political games.

Instead of engaging in brinkmanship, attempting to alter the situation on the ground in the hope of sealing some better deal and, in the process, wasting precious resources, they could pool efforts to terminate, once and for all, the physical presence of terrorist groups in Syria, and Iraq.

After which the hard part of eradicating their thought starts, but that is a longer process and the Arab world itself needs to get heavily involved in it.

For now, the priority should be ending the war and the suffering of the Syrian people.