Former U.S. official Jeffrey Feltman revealed that U.S. policy in Syria has failed to achieve tangible results concerning Washington's objectives during the presidencies of Donald Trump and Barack Obama, with the exception of the defeat of ISIS, which stands as the only successful segment.
In a special interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Feltman attributed the decrease in violence and warfare in Syria over the past year to Russian-Turkish understandings and the presence of Turkish forces in Idlib, leading to a retreat by the Syrian army in terms of military activity. He noted that the economic and humanitarian situation is "declining rapidly," citing reasons such as the collapse of the Lebanese economy and the effects of destruction and war, alongside economic and social factors.
Feltman called for testing a new approach that involves Syrian President Bashar al-Assad taking concrete and specific steps toward political reform, in exchange for Washington undertaking measures such as easing sanctions on Damascus. He stated, "I support engaging and using tools to address our concerns. I call for steps by Assad to address specific points, and we will respond with our own actions. This process will only progress if there are tangible steps from Damascus and if it continues in an irreversible way. I see this as a realistic approach to achieve outcomes concerning our interests, which has not happened in the past decade."
He added that the Russians and Iranians have come to shift the direction of the war towards a certain outcome (currently, about 65 percent of Syria is under Damascus's control), questioning whether Russia and Iran are willing to provide the same level of economic support to Syria as they have militarily. "I doubt it," he remarked, considering "that the threat to the current Damascus government is no longer military, but due to the deteriorating economic situation, which is not being met with the same support from Russia and Iran as they did militarily."
Feltman noted that "Assad today is stronger than before regarding military control," arguing that U.S. policy should focus on "trying to encourage and tackle larger issues beyond just examining Damascus's policies." He warned of the social, economic, and structural challenges that will create many problems for the Damascus government to address. Regarding the Iranian presence and Hezbollah's presence in Syria and Lebanon, Feltman said, "Everyone knows my position, and my views are well-known." He noted that "Iran's relations with Damascus today are deeper than they were before 2011 and will not disappear overnight, so many doors must be opened to address all issues." He suggested avoiding discussions on major geopolitical matters or "the elephant in the room," and instead proposed addressing some problems related to Damascus's behavior and easing the suffering of the Syrian people. "If the answer (from Damascus) is yes to that, it creates a gateway to discuss other issues. We must be realistic."
