Syria at the crossroads

There is growing alarm in the United States that if the bloody struggle for power in Syria continues unabated, the sectarian-ethnic polarizations of the country will deepen, prospects for political solution will recede and radical groups such as al-Nusra Front will gain ascendency. Syria, “could become fragmented along confessional and religious line” says Edward Djerejian founding director, Rice University’s Baker Center. Djerejian, who served as U.S. ambassador to Syria is the co-author of a recent report titled: Syria at the crossroads: U.S. Policy and Recommendations for the Way Forward. The report paints a bleak picture of the prospects of Syria recovering any time soon; and states bluntly that, “Syria, by many measures and indicators, is headed toward state failure.”

Al-Arabiya’s Hisham Melhem met ambassador Djerejian in Washington when he visited recently to present his report to U.S. decision makers.