WP: Biden's Iran envoy complicates his approach to Syria

The fight between Malley's supporters and critics is a proxy battle for the next war over Iran policy, but Malley's possible return to the government also has massive implications for Syria, sowing the potential for a rift between the Biden team from the start, according to an analysis of the Washington Post.

The criticism over him began when Senator Tom Cotton tweeted last week that the expected appointment was "extremely worrying" due to "the track record of sympathy with the Iranian regime and hostility to Israel."

Familiar groups in the foreign policy establishment lined up with and against Mali, and Senator Bernie Sanders rallied to defend him, as did many former Obama administration officials and the anti-war group Code Pink, while Iran's hawks joined his refusal, who fear he might undermine Biden's promises to reform Obama's failed policy towards Syria, according to the newspaper.

In addition, former Obama administration officials told the newspaper that when he was a White House official, he opposed support for the Syrian pro-democracy movement and resisted punitive measures against President Bashar al-Assad, in part to protect the negotiations of the Iran deal, and in a 2018 interview, he criticized US aid to the Syrian opposition, he said: "We were part of what fueled the conflict instead of stopping it."

Many Syrians are concerned that he will once again oppose internally imposing sanctions on Assad and assist the Syrian opposition, and they are also concerned that his efforts to negotiate with Iran over the nuclear deal may push the Syria file back again, and lead to an underestimation of Iran's other malign activities, including its efforts to support Assad, its participation in atrocities in Syria, and its continued transfer of missiles to Hezbollah.

In this context, researcher Stephen Heydman said, "There is cause for concern that his candidacy indicates an intention to move forward largely along the lines of the Obama administration, and if that happens, it will be a big missed opportunity for Syria."

Malley's views on Syria contradict those of senior Biden administration officials, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. During the campaign, Blinken told the newspaper that the Obama administration had failed in Syria, and Caesar Act should be applied to address the worst atrocities committed by Assad, including torture, murder and mass detentions for civilians and crimes against humanity.

Within the administration, there is a rumor that Blinken will appoint former State Department official and United Nations diplomat Jeffrey Feltman as his special envoy to Syria, and this week, Feltman wrote with Harrier Balian of the Carter Center, an article arguing that the United States should offer Assad relief from some sanctions in exchange for limited concessions.

Some former officials believe that there is no point in trying to do anything in Syria. The former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, told the newspaper that there is no hope that sanctions or pressure will push Assad to change his behavior, and there is no desire to push a new American big. Enough to make a difference, he said, "We lost, that's not what I wanted to happen."

Unfortunately, as Blinken clearly admits, the United States cannot afford to just give up Syria and trust Moscow and Tehran to deal with it, without a real political solution that provides millions of Syrians with some dignity, safety and basic justice, the conditions that caused the uprising 10 years ago will only get worse and worse. This means more refugees, more extremism, and more instability in the region and beyond.

(A)

ANHA