Obama Syria policy under fire from his former envoy
U.S. President Barack Obama’s former ambassador to Damascus harshly criticized the White House Syria policy on Tuesday, saying Washington should have done more earlier to arm moderate rebel factions, Reuters reported.
Robert Ford said in an interview with the PBS NewsHour that as a result of U.S. hesitancy, extremist threats to the United States had grown.
Ford is a respected veteran diplomat who served as ambassador to Damascus for more than three years until his retirement in late April. He had left the country in 2011 after the United States received threats against his personal safety in Syria.
His remarks appeared likely to refuel the debate over Obama's cautious approach to the war, just as the White House has launched a campaign to counter criticisms of the president’s foreign policy.
Syrians voted on Tuesday in an election – derided as a sham by opposition factions and Western governments – that seemed set to further consolidate President Bashar al-Assad's rule.
The election “is a signal, to us, to other countries in the region, to Europe, et cetera, that Assad is not leaving,” Ford said. “He is staying deeply entrenched in the capital in Syria, even as other parts of the country remain outside his control.”
Responding to Ford’s comments, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, "He's a private citizen. He's entitled to his views. What we're focused on today is the officials who are still here, who are working on Syria, who share the kind of frustration you've heard from the president, the secretary and others."