"But after 3½ months of relentless airstrikes […], they have proved sufficient to push beyond doubt any likelihood that Assad will be removed from power by the nearly five-year-old revolt against his rule," the article read.
The advances of the Syrian troops backed by Russian airstrikes are now placing in doubt Washington’s plan to oust Assad. According to the article, peace talks scheduled to start in Geneva next week are already in doubt due to disputes between Russia and the US over who should be invited.
Moscow and Damascus have objected to a US-backed list of opposition figures worked out in Riyadh last month. It includes representatives of the main rebel groups. Russia and the Syrian government have said they will not negotiate with people they consider "terrorists."
"The Geneva process never clearly stipulated that Assad should relinquish power, but the opposition and the United States said they thought that was the intended goal," according to the article.
It underscored that four years after the conflict broke out the Syrian army backed by Russian airstrikes is making advances on several fronts, including in northern, southern and central regions of the country. There is no longer reason to call for Assad’s resignation, and the US is abandoning his previous demands.
"If the talks do not take place any time soon, it will be a serious setback for a key goal of the Obama administration’s foreign policy," the article added.
However, if the talks do take place it is hard to say how they could progress to a solution, taking into account the fact that the military and diplomatic balance has recently shifted so decisively in favor of Assad.
"Under the current military circumstances, there is no reason for the strong alliance to go and negotiate a win-win solution. The stronger alliance is going to go into the negotiations and dictate terms," military analyst Jeff White told The Washington Post.
Earlier, former US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the US foreign policy has been caught in a trap by the demand that Assad had to leave office.
What is more, Russia's involvment in Syria has proved the inconsistency of the US politicy in Syria and in the entire Middle East region, US journalist Seymour Hersh said in an interview with Deutsche Wirschafts Nachrichten. According to him, the "US military has now recognized the Russian military’s success in Syria."
Washington's hatred toward Assad as well as its anti-Russian stance have never been logical, the journalist added. The US should turn to closer cooperation with Russia in order to defeat the Islamist threat.
