The Obama administration aims to consolidate Bashar’s power

The Guardian have published a road-map document written by Liberal writer Louay Hussein and book seller Maen Abdul-Salaam, titled a ‘secure and peaceful transition to a democratic and civil state’. Syrian opposition sources, according to the Guardian, claim that the US administration has pressured the Syrian opposition to accept this document and to discuss it in their consultation meetings. The document outlines a solution to the crisis, with Bashar al-Assad remaining in power:

Assad would oversee what the roadmap calls “a secure and peaceful transition to civil democracy”. It calls for tighter control over the security forces, the disbanding of “shabiha” gangs accused of atrocities, the legal right to peaceful demonstrations, extensive media freedoms, and the appointment of a transitional assembly.

The Obama administration, in its usual cynicism, is seeking to push for a political solution before another trusted, if troublesome dictator, reaches a point of no return. The fears of the neighbouring Zionist state, an imperial outpost, and a delicate regional power balance is what drives US foreign policy concerns for Syria. Prior to the fall of Hosni Mubarak, the Obama administration encouraged a plan in which Omar Soleiman, Egypt’s chief torturer and intelligence official, would take over from Mubarak and guide a similar transitory period. However, the pressure from the street is slowly shifting power balances and it was partly due to this pressure that the plan was amended. Instead it was a pro-US military that finally removed Hosni Mubarak to then lead a subsequent transitory period.

In the case of Syria, Bashar al-Assad has committed bloody atrocities, and so it is difficult to see him building any trust or acceptance to guide a similar transitory stage. The plan will likely be dismissed after the Obama administration is convinced of a point of no-return. However, as the Syrian situation is more complex to administer, the US government is already seeking to build partnerships for a likely scenario that Bashar al-Assad is no longer a viable US partner. Good contacts exist with Syrian opposition leaders and Saudi Arabia has gained significant leverage itself, thus a possible transitory political front is a viable counter-revolutionary force. May be this is a less appeasing scenario, as Bashar al-Assad’s rule, with its viscous security apparatus, produces a significant internal guarantee in achieving overarching US regional objectives.