Ford, a vocal opponent of Obama's handling of the Syrian conflict, stated that he had to quit the job because he knew that the White House policy was "not working and was not going to work" and he "could no longer defend" it. He served as the US ambassador to Syria from 2010 until 2014.
The retired diplomat shared a grim prediction for how things will develop in Syria.
"It will be, I hate to say it, but it will be 300,000 [killed in the war] and if it goes on, 400,000," he told Sharyl Attkisson on "Full Measure." Even when the war ends, the nation will not return to normal in an instant. "Rebuilding Syria will take decades," Ford asserted.
The United States has employed a threefold strategy to bring peace to the war-torn nation. It involves conducting airstrikes against Islamic State targets, training and equipping so-called moderate rebels and overthrowing Syria's legitimate president, Bashar al-Assad.
The massive bombing campaign launched in September 2014 without an authorization from the Syrian government has so far failed to prevent ISIL from gaining more ground. The group still maintains control over large swathes of land both in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
Increasingly more officials and experts in the West understand that Bashar al-Assad will have to play a part in shaping Syria's future. Removing him from power will only lead to more chaos.
Meanwhile, Russia responded to a request from Damascus to assist the Syrian government in its fight against ISIL and other terrorist groups which try to overthrow Assad. Moscow's limited operation launched in late September has already been hailed as a success.
