It appears that the meeting between the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib did not bring the more ambitious U.S. commitment that the opposition had anticipated. The emphasis on humanitarian aid undoubtedly will facilitate a partial reduction of the growing agony the people of Syria are experiencing, but any serious militarily involvement was not forthcoming.
At this juncture, President Barack Obama’s policies prioritize, to a very large extent, domestic needs: dealing with economic sequestration, improving prospects for employment and allocating for infrastructure. All these constitute an imperative priority and are required efforts in trying to persuade a Republican-dominated House of Representatives to respond favorably. Yet, Obama’s reluctance to engage in crisis areas, despite earlier attempts by many of his security team to get the United States more involved in Syria, has confined the U.S. mission to emphasizing humanitarian assistance and to coordinating, perhaps with the Europeans, on more military assistance to the Free Syrian Army.
