Former US ambassador in Damascus: Syria hasn’t been a priority for the United States for 10 years
The former US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, said that for 10 years, Syria hasn’t been a priority for the United States, as it’s concerned with issues such as Ukraine, Taiwan, and recently Gaza.
Ford explained that the lack of interest in the Syrian file is because Washington doesn’t want to spend money and send soldiers to Syria, in addition to the fact that US officials are preoccupied with files such as Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan.
According to several reports, and despite the US denial, it’s likely that the US forces will withdraw from Syria, but not in the near term, perhaps within a year or two, because they want to prepare the Kurdish SDF forces before withdrawing, so they need more time to train them.
Ford warned the Autonomous Administration in northern and eastern Syria against relying on US protection after the withdrawal, as US influence is very small, and it’s important for the leaders of the Autonomous Administration to realize the necessity of making concessions in their negotiations with the Syrian regime.
He believed that the Autonomous Administration should begin negotiating with the regime, while they are in a stronger position, and not after the US withdrawal, because their position will be weaker in the negotiations.
Ford pointed out Washington’s failure in the Kurdish-Kurdish dialogue, due to the Autonomous Administration’s oppressive treatment of others, in addition to the lack of trust between the Kurdish political parties.
