Ben Schreiner: Washington's Strategic Policy Shift on Syria!

Edging closer to direct military intervention? Though President Obama last year rejected a proposal from the State Department, Pentagon, and CIA to directly arm Syrian rebel fighters, his administration is once again edging closer to directly intervening in the Syrian war. As the Washington Post reported Tuesday, the Obama administration is moving toward a major policy shift on Syria, that could provide the rebels with equipment, such as body armor, armored vehicles, and possibly military training, and could send humanitarian assistance directly to Syria's opposition political coalition. White House spokesperson Jay Carney confirmed the Post's reporting Wednesday, stating that the US is constantly reviewing the nature of the assistance we provide to both the Syrian people, in the form of humanitarian assistance, and to the Syrian opposition, in the form of non lethal assistance. The exact nature of the additional US assistance is expected to be announced Thursday, at a meeting of the Friends of Syria in Rome. The US has previously sent communications equipment, and night vision goggles to rebels fighting in Syria. Perhaps the unlikely driver of the reported shift in US policy on Syria has been none other than new Secretary of State John Kerry, the very man who might continue to insist on being mislabeled as a dove. Speaking as early as February 13, Secretary of State Kerry proclaimed that there were additional things that can be done to force Syrian President Bashar al Assad aside, and on Monday, Kerry again went to reiterate that the West was determined to change the calculation on the ground for President Assad. We are examining and developing ways to accelerate the political transition, that the Syrian people want and deserve, Kerry commented further. Although a policy change for the Obama administration, advocating for a more direct role for the US in Syria has long been Kerry's position. As Kerry commented in May of 2012, the concept of a safe zone is a reality, and worth the discussion. The concept of working with the Turks and the Jordanians, if everyone is on the same page, there could be some military training of the opposition forces. If we can enhance the unity of the opposition, we could consider lethal aid, and those kinds of things. In the same interview, Kerry went on to voice support, under the right conditions for US or NATO led airstrikes on the Syrian military.