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No 'Good Guys' Or 'Bad Guys' in Syria

Saudi Arabia and Qatar need to support a diplomatic outcome in Syria.
Syrians wait to cross back into Syria at the Turkish Cilvegozu border, opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa, in Reyhanli, Hatay province, May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZLW2
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It took Turkish security forces just a few hours to conclude that the trail left by the perpetrators of the double bombing in Reyhanli leads directly back to Damascus. The small Turkish township was not quick to recover from the tragedy that befell it Saturday (May 11). Two car bombs were detonated in the town center, causing the deaths of 51 people. The attack itself wasn’t really that surprising. What was surprising is that it took so long for it to happen. This was an act of Syrian retaliation against two long years of Turkish involvement in a military coalition intent on destroying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

There are no “good guys” or “bad guys” in this story. Both sides are ruthless. The question is whether decision-makers in the West are fully aware of how interests are mapped out in the Syrian crisis and what the balance of power really is. When White House officials call on Assad to go home or decide to provide the rebels with weapons — and by that I mean any weapons whatsoever, even non-lethal weapons — the question that immediately comes to mind is: Why is the West applying pressure to destabilize Syria? Why does the West regard Assad not only as the problem, but also as the key to its resolution, while ignoring the critical roles of other major players in the equation? What is it actually promising the suffering citizens of Syria once Assad is gone? This is not some subjective question either. For the Syrian people this is a matter of life and death. There is a fierce struggle underway over the future of this war-torn country.

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