Ending the Syrian War

Syria is currently the world’s greatest humanitarian catastrophe and most dangerous geopolitical hotspot.

The Syrian people are caught in a bloodbath, with more than 400,000 dead and ten million displaced.

Violent jihadist groups backed by outside patrons mercilessly ravage the country and prey on the population. All parties to the conflict – President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the anti-Assad forces supported by the United States and its allies, and the Islamic State – have committed, and continue to commit, serious war crimes.

Ending the war requires adherence to six principles

• The US should cease both overt and covert operations to overthrow Syria’s government.
• The UN Security Council should implement the ceasefire now under negotiation, calling on all countries to stop arming and funding military forces within Syria.
• All paramilitary activities should cease, including those of so-called “moderates” backed by the US.
• The US and Russia – and, indeed, the UN Security Council – should hold Syria’s government strictly responsible to desist from punitive actions against regime opponents.
• The political transition should take place gradually and with confidence building on all sides, rather than through an arbitrary, destabilizing rush to “free elections.”
• The Gulf States, Turkey, and Iran should be pressed to negotiate face to face on a regional framework that can ensure lasting peace.

Read the full article on Project Syndicate website