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Military Strikes on Syria: Historical Lessons and Implications
(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Michael Eisenstadt - Experience indicates that Assad will likely continue defying the international community and challenging the chemical weapons redline, and that additional strikes may be necessary to deter him from doing so. The U.S. should keep in mind that its best hope for an exit strategy that advances its interests in Syria is by fostering the creation of effective non-Salafist rebel forces that can draw Sunnis away from the extremists and apply sustained military pressure on the Assad regime. Only a military balance that produces a costly stalemate for the regime will generate the pressures needed to achieve a diplomatic solution to the war. It may be too late for such an effort to succeed, but that should not stop the U.S. from trying. The writer is director of the Military and Security Studies Program at The Washington Institute.