The former US envoy to Syria, Joel Rayburn, linked the fate of Syrian regime President Bashar al-Assad to developments in Ukraine and its ultimate victor.
Rayburn tweeted: “Bashar al Assad’s fate will be determined in Kherson and Crimea. If Vladimir Putin loses his war in Ukraine, eventually, Bashar al-Assad will lose his war in Syria. If Putin falls from power in Moscow, Assad will fall from power in Damascus.”
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“If Putin falls from power in Moscow, Assad will fall from power in Damascus.”
In a series of other tweets, Rayburn sharply criticized parties demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and countries that are normalizing with Assad to solve their security and economic problems.
“For some, whatever the issue in Syria, their answer is always to stop pressuring Assad/Iran. In article after article they argue now is the time for the U.S. to exit & let Assad & Iran have their way,” he said.
He also described the current calmness in Syria as “defeatist” by saying, “Slapping a “realism” label on defeatist appeasement doesn’t make it realistic.”
“They are proposing a partnership with the Assad regime as a solution for everyone. Terrorism? Work with Assad against the terrorists. Turkish pressure on U.S. counterterrorism partners? Call on Assad to protect the partners. Humanitarian crisis? Intensifying UN aid deliveries through the Assad regime in Damascus. Poor living conditions? Help Assad recover early..”.
“Christians in Syria feel threatened? Work with Assad to protect them… Drug smuggling from Syria? Work with Assad to curb it… Jordan’s economic crisis? Make a trade deal with Assad… There are a large number of refugees in country X. Well, country X should work with Assad to bring them back…”
Rayburn stressed that all these problems were created by Assad, and all these fires were ignited by him. He is now being proposed as a firefighter for them, considering that those who rush towards him always fall into the same trick. He added: “Maybe some people fall for Assad’s trick because they haven’t seen it before and think it’s something novel. In reality, the Assad regime has run the same scam for decades. It’s time to stop taking the bait.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
