Belated move

US President Barack Obama’s decision to grant diplomatic recognition to the Syrian opposition groups and allow them to open an office in Washington sends the message that the US is not abandoning them, but wishes to strengthen them, at least morally, not on the battlefield.

The opposition forces have been experiencing military losses of late, and unless they are propped up, by their supporters in the West and elsewhere, the end of the opposition’s narrative will not be too far away.

But moral support is one thing and sophisticated military hardware, which does not seem to be forthcoming, to balance out the mighty Syrian armed forces is another.

Washington’s move elicits a question: Why this delayed reaction to the predicament of the Syrian opposition?

The civil war in Syria has been going on for about three-and-a-half years. During this time, 150,000 people lost their lives and millions sought safe haven in neighbouring countries.

It seems that the Ukrainian crisis has made the US leadership reach the conclusion that unless it shows more convincingly that it means what it says and says what it means, that unless it takes more assertive and bolder decisions in dealing with world affairs, America’s stature and clout across the globe will be further weakened.

The relationship between Ukraine and Syria has not escaped the attention of Obama.

His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has been trying to show Russia’s might in Syria and, now, is working to restore his country’s image as a mighty state in whose way nobody can stand.

It remains to be seen what Washington’s move towards the Syrian opposition will yield.

Logic says that it is more of a symbolic gesture, but those are not going to help Syria end the nightmarish civil war that took the lives of so many people and destroyed a once prosperous country.

Unless the international community shows determination to put an end to the carnage in Syria, the war will drag on for the foreseeable future. 

Unfortunately, the ones to pay the price will be the people.