What Obama should do for Syria

President Obama in an interview with The New Republic published yesterday, discussed in more explicit terms than usual how he makes foreign policy decisions.  Commentary has focused on what academics are interested in:  is he a realist or an idealist?  I see no evidence in what he said to suggest that he should be put in exclusively either category.  Dan Drezner does (“national interest and security trumps liberal values every day of the week and twice on Sundays”), but then his own editor appends a note that this is a false dichotomy.  The editor is correct.

The far more interesting part of the President’s interview includes his comments on Syria:

…I have to ask, can we make a difference in that situation? Would a military intervention have an impact? How would it affect our ability to support troops who are still in Afghanistan? What would be the aftermath of our involvement on the ground? Could it trigger even worse violence or the use of chemical weapons? What offers the best prospect of a stable post-Assad regime? And how do I weigh tens of thousands who’ve been killed in Syria versus the tens of thousands who are currently being killed in the Congo?

I find the reference to Afghanistan particularly telling.  What’s that about?

It’s about the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a logistical network that enables a substantial supply of material to U.S. forces in Afghanistan from the north (without going through Pakistan).  It is also important to the withdrawal of U.S. forces and their extraordinary volume of stuff.  The NDN depends on Russian cooperation, which the President clearly fears will be restricted or even ended should he take a more proactive stance on Syria.

The President’s other concerns are also valid.  In particular the aftermath of military intervention is precisely what he should worry about, given the course of post-war events in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

What he does not mention, but I am certain is on his mind, is Iran.  The civil war in Syria is in some ways a proxy war between the West (counting Turkey as in that category) and Iran, which is Bashar al Asad’s most important ally (more important even than Russia).  The United States from this persepective is “bleeding” Iran in Syria, where Tehran is compelled to commit men and money to prop up Bashar.  For Washington to commit military force in Syria would risk the loss of Russia’s support not only for the NDN but also in the P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran and call into question U.S. commitment to military action against Tehran in case those talks fail.  The President is keeping his powder dry while watching Iran weaken itself.  That’s not a bad course of action both from a realist and an idealist perspective.

What it does not do however is explain the ineffectiveness of American civilian assistance to the Syrian opposition, amply discussed on NPR this morning:

This is absurd.  The President needs to refocus his attention on the civilian side of America’s engagement with Syria.  He may well be right to hesitate in using military force.  But there is no excuse for failing to provide 100% support to the Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces that Washington helped to create.

If, like me, you are wondering if the 60 Minutes interview with the President and Secretary of State Clinton provides more enlightenment, you’ll be disappointed.  It’s just a hug fest.