US goes from bandleader to bystander in Syria peace efforts
WASHINGTON — Stung by years of failure to stop Syria’s bloodshed, the United States is now just a bystander to the civil war as President Barack Obama’s tenure ends.
Secretary of State John Kerry still is speaking sporadically with Russian, Turkish and Arab foreign ministers about cease-fire efforts, and there are occasional consultations with the opposition.
But less than two weeks before Donald Trump’s presidency begins, the Obama administration no longer is even claiming to play the leading part in the peace mediation that it spearheaded unsuccessfully for years. Formal contacts with Russia and others in Geneva, the main meeting point for the U.S.-led diplomacy, have ended.
Leadership has been ceded to Russia and, to a lesser degree, Turkey and Iran.