U.S. Expels Syrian Diplomats, Shutters Embassy

[2banon]

Source: TIME

Denver Nicks @DenverNicks 12:44 PM ET


Newly appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Daniel Rubenstein evicted diplomatic representatives of the Assad regime

The newly appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Syria marked the civil war’s third anniversary this week by closing the country’s embassy in Washington and evicting its diplomats from the U.S. as his first order of business.

Daniel Rubinstein, who was appointed to succeed Ambassador Robert Ford in the special envoy post by Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday, said in a statement Tuesday that representatives of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad were no longer welcome in Washington D.C.

“For three years, Bashar al-Assad has refused to heed the call of the Syrian people to step aside,” Rubinstein said. “He has directed a war against his own people and created a humanitarian catastrophe in order to hold on to power and protect his narrow interests.”



Read more: http://time.com/28936/u-s-expels-syrian-diplomats-shutters-embassy/

[snappyturtle]

1. I don't see how this helps. nt

[2banon]

3. I don't either, I suspect this move is largely motivated by domestic politics

but there's certainly a geopolitical component. It's no small matter that Saudi Arabia is a significant player both geopolitically and regards U.S. domestic assurances to W.S., Neo Cons, Big Oil and let's not forget the importance of shoring up PBO's legacy as strong on foreign policy. Just speculating, of course.

[Comrade Grumpy]

2. As the US prepares to wage more war on Syria.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/11/syria-war-international-effort-southern-front-assad

After months of battlefield stalemate in Syria, a flurry of reports from Washington, Jerusalem, Amman and the Gulf suggests a major new clandestine effort is under way to open up a "southern front" against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Central to the mooted plan is a renewed push to provide Syria's badly divided and often ineffectual moderate, secular rebel groups with additional funding, upgraded weapons and intelligence support.

What use they may make of such support, if indeed it fully materialises, remains to be seen.

The initiative, as reported in the region, is set against a backdrop of secret talks in the US last month between Susan Rice, Barack Obama's national security adviser, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the Saudi interior minister in charge of covert action programmes in Syria.

According to the usually well informed Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, spy chiefs from Jordan, Turkey, Qatar and other regional countries also attended the discussions, focused on making a "stronger effort" to help the rebels.

[2banon]

4. and away we go....

Important to reset relations with Saudi Arabia now that relations with Putin has disintegrated. S.A. has been hand wringing over U.S. public non-interventionism in Syria.. So here we go..

[Catherina]

5. Directly tied in to Ukraine mess and the US military exercises in the Baltics

Total insanity but this is what they want.

[Lurks Often]

6. Several reasons, all intertwined together

1. It is a direct slap at Syria for their actions in the ongoing civil war, with the additional possibility of them not cooperating as fully as expected in the agreed upon disposal of chemical weapons.
2. Since Syria is one of Russia's last remaining allies, it is an indirect slap at the Russians, both for the Russian efforts in Syria and in Crimea.
3. It is intended to reassure American allies in the Middle East, due to the perception, real or not, that the United States responses to the Syrian crisis and the Ukraine crisis were diplomatically weak.

[2banon]

7. yep.. now how it will improve conditions in Syria is another question altogether.

[bemildred]

8. Yep. nt