With the humanitarian and political situation worsening in Syria, Washington is considering more unilateral sanctions against the Syrian government, while increasing coordination with Turkey, the Europeans and the Arab states to ramp up diplomatic pressure and further isolate the regime. Washington took a further step away from the Assad regime this week as a senior US official tells Al-Hayat and a small group of Arab journalists that the government in Damascus is “responsible for the instability” in the country. The official dismisses the government's narrative that the protests are “sectarian” in nature and “are led by terrorist and salafist groups”, emphasizing instead that “it's a broad based movement of ordinary citizens” While the official stops short of calling on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to step down, he makes it clear that Washington is considering “series of options” besides its support for a United Nations Security Council draft resolution condemning the violence, and in order to increase the pressure on the regime. One of those options will come in the form of the Obama administration announcing more designations that target Syrian officials or entities responsible for the crackdown. The administration took a similar move last month in sanctions that directly targeted Assad himself. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity did not go into details about the new names while confirming that the “U.S. is thinking of making more designations and I expect the Europeans to take similar actions”. Additionally, Washington is “looking into” allegations of crimes against humanity in Syria and possibly referring that to the International Criminal Court. So far, the death toll has exceeded 1200 Syrians according to independent human rights groups, and an estimate of 10,000 who have been detained since March, while more than 8000 refugees have fled to Turkey. The level of diplomatic communication between Washington and Damascus has also hit a new low. U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford “has only been in contact with the regime through intermediaries, and has not been meeting with either Syrian Foreign minister Walid Mouallem or his deputy Faisal Mekdad” according to the official, at the same time Washington has been meeting with members of the Syrian opposition. The U.S. is also increasingly talking about an Iranian role in supporting the regime crackdown and being “manifested behind the scenes” as the official points out. At the same time, the U.S. Official keeps distance from reports of direct Iranian involvement on the ground in Syria, making it clear that “the repression is being executed by the Syrian security forces” while “Iranians in effect are providing their expertise from repressing their own people” and through “training and providing equipment in some cases.” He adds that “we have not seen a role for Hizballah at this point” the Lebanese party backed by Iran and Syria. Amr Azm, a Syrian historian at Shawnee State University in Ohio, interprets the cautious escalation in Washington's tone as a response to the worsening situation on the ground in Syria. He tells Al-Hayat in a phone interview that “what changed now is the situation on the ground in terms of having a humanitarian crisis, and it's further creating an environment that does not make it possible for Assad to stay”. The U.S. restraint so far in not telling Assad to step down is “an attempt from the Obama administration to avoid a complete break with regime” Azm adds, in part “because they want to make sure before they commit completely for his departure, that there is a fair chance that he would go.” “I think the Americans are practically there, and it's just a matter of finding the right formula and opportunity to do that” he adds. One key to this would be finding “what the Syrian opposition has to offer”. The US is also leaning heavily on Turkey in pursuing a political transition for the situation in Syria. The Syrian regime has alienated Ankara, a former close ally, in the last few weeks through its assault on cities in the North, and by dismissing its calls for genuine reforms. Azm draws some similarities between Northern Syria and Eastern Libya pointing that “if we were to see a Benghazi situation in Syria, it would happen in the North and on the Turkish border” in part because the government in Ankara has opened its doors for fleeing civilians, and in contrast with Lebanese and Jordanian governments. The military assault in the North has been heightening Turkish and American concerns of a possibility of a civil war in the country. Azm warns that the regime might benefit from a civil war in Syria “because they know they can win and it would help them justify the use of brutal force”.
