Election Ploy—The Reason behind US Conservatism in Syria

10 August 2011 | 21:02 Code : 15330 America
By: Mehdi Mohtashemi, the former Director General of the Iranian Foreign Ministry for North America
Election Ploy—The Reason behind US Conservatism in Syria
IRD: Apparently the United States is putting all its effort into applying pressure on Bashar Assad alongside the international community. Recently the US and some other members of the Security Council such as Germany, France and Britain tried to ratify a resolution against the violence administered by Syria against its people. However, due to the disagreement of China and Russia and their threat of vetoing this resolution, this initiative failed. Some other countries, namely Brazil, South Africa, and India also opposed this resolution, because they claimed that it could lead to a military intervention as in the Libyan case. Nevertheless, they were able to gain the consent of other Security Council members in order to issue a resolution against the brutality of the Syrian military against its civilians.  

The US attempts to take a multilateral stance in regards to Syria due to its involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and its own domestic problems. The fact that presidential elections are approaching in the US will not allow this country to get involved in the Syrian equation unilaterally. Nevertheless, the current situation in Syria and the mass murder which is taking place there is disturbing, and Washington has taken position against it; claimed Bashar Assad as the source of turbulence in Syria for the first time, and has asked that he leave power. However, the US will not be able to stand against Syria on its own due to its domestic issues and the international situation.

Another reason behind the fact that the US is contemplating what to do about the Syrian situation is that it has not been able to find a suitable replacement for Assad in the event that he gives up power. The West and especially the US administration are concerned about the individual or current that would replace Assad. Currently, the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood is a hot topic in Syria and the US fears that if it is they who come to power in Damascus the Middle East developments will take a different direction. The Syrian-Israeli relation is of great importance to the US and therefore it is extremely concerned about Syrian developments. They fear that in case an Islamist government is formed in Syria, Israel will find itself in a worse situation than it is now.

The domestic atmosphere in the US has entered the elections phase; therefore every action taken by any of the main two parties is in consideration of the ballot box as well. Every decision American politicians take in regards to international issues, including on Syria, can be seen to not have negative influence on the position of their party in the upcoming election.

Both parties seem to take the same position-- at least in speech-- about Syrian developments. However, the Republicans have always been harsher in their foreign policy, especially after the formation of the Tea Party. This movement is more radical regarding the Syrian development. Nevertheless, whatever step they want to take in practice should be seen in a way as to not damage their party’s position in the next election. As seen, Obama’s promises regarding Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East Peace Process were not realized, therefore creating a wave of dissatisfaction among the American public.

The Libyan situation has also created dissatisfaction among Americans. The American people do not want their government to get involved in another war at a time when their own economy is weak and fragile. The US is faced with economic turmoil due to its increasing debt, its budget deficit, and high unemployment rate. Therefore, the US will approach the Syrian situation with caution. Obama should also assess the US domestic position, and then react to the Syrian development.