"The Obama administration has painted itself into a corner in Syria, calling loudly for revolutionary change, repeatedly stating that Assad must go, and then failing to find Syrian opposition leaders it can wholeheartedly endorse" --The American Interest
Disappointed with his latest attempt to broker a durable ceasefire, Lakhdar Brahimi was quick to lament that the situation in Syria is getting worse. A couple weeks earlier he expressed similar sentiments. He said, "This crisis cannot remain within Syrian borders indefinitely. Either it will be addressed or it will increase ... and be all-consuming." Brahimi is not alone in sounding alarm bells. His predecessor, Mr. Annan, gave a graver assessment. He said, "Libya imploded. Syria would explode across the region." The statement of Brahimi and Annan echo the remarks made by US Defense Secretary in July 2012. Panetta said, "This is a situation that is rapidly spinning out of control."
The conventional interpretation of such statements is that if an American inspired political solution is not found then Syria will surely fragment along ethnic and sectarian lines thereby plunging the whole region into chaos. This view is further bolstered by the incessant Western media coverage that repeats the same mantra. However, there is another plausible explanation for such statements and that is a candid admission that mighty America has hitherto failed to find a lasting political solution to the Syrian crisis.
Since the dawn of the Arab uprisings, America has managed to curtail the ferocity of the Arab street by crafting political solutions that aim to assuage the demands of the Arab masses within the confinement of contemporary Western democratic norms. In Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen; America in collusion with its European partners sought to protect the edifice of the political structures in these countries by making minor adjustments. Ben Ali was replaced by Ennahda in Tunisia and Mubarak was substituted with a faction of Islamists led by pro-Muslim Brotherhood Morsi. In Yemen, the changes to the country's political structure were less deep, where Saleh was replaced by his deputy Hadi. Libya, on the other hand underwent surgery and after the removal of Gaddafi, the country's rehabilitation proceeded on Western dictated democratic norms.
Whether it was a root filling or a simple filling of the cavity left by the ousted leader, the underlying political structure remained intact and inherently secular. Syria is where America finally became unstuck, and after almost eighteen months the US has been unable to forge a durable political solution. America has tried various solutions but all have failed. These include: intervention of the Arab League, the UN sponsored Annan's Six Point Plan, the mobilization of the Syrian National Council (SNC) under American auspices, intervention of UN emissary Brahimi, and efforts to control the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Even the collective efforts of America's client states such as Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, and Iran to persuade the Syrians to give up their demands and accept some sort of appeasement where parts of Assad's brutal regime have proved futile. The Syrian people have categorically refused to accept Farouk al-Sharaa as Assad's replacement and no doubt will reject whatever comes out of the Doha talks.
The reason for America's failure is quite simple. Unlike the people of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen, the people in Syria know exactly what they want and are prepared to sacrifice their blood and lives accomplish it. The people in Syria do not want a secular state, where another Western puppet will continue to manage their affairs by implementing Western solutions and protecting the interests of the colonial powers. The people in Syria want Islam, and their repeated sacrifices in the face of immense hardship and tyranny bear testimony to this fact. This apprehension of Islam taking over Syria was recently expressed by US Secretary State Hilary Clinton who urged the rebels to "strongly resist the efforts by the extremists to hijack the Syrian revolution."
The bravery of the Syrian people and their yearning for Islam has only increased America's anger which they have borne with great steadfastness. Indeed whatever America, her agent Assad and her henchmen in the neighbouring countries, have thrown at them they have persevered patiently and have exposed the failure of America's might and haughtiness. Perhaps the words of Allah concerning America are soon to become apparent.
((وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ))
"Every nation has an appointed time. When their time comes, they cannot delay it a single hour or bring it forward." [TMQ al-A'raf: 34]
And we hope that the demise of America is greeted with the re-establishment of the second Khilafah "Caliphate" the return of the Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashida, and there is no better place for its return then Sham where the core of the believers reside.
Abu Hashim
