Syrian opposition continues to advance on Damascus.

 Syrian opposition continues to advance on Damascus and Assad’s army does not appear to be responding adequately to deter their advance.  Assad’s international allies do not appear to be assisting him adequately either, although Hezbollah is reported to still have fighters in Syria.  There are even reports that Russia is moving ships out of their base in Syria for fear they will be caught up in the fighting.  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s leader, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is projecting the image of a uniter and it would appear that a majority of the domestic opposition to Assad has accepted his leadership - at least tactically.  Ankara is, of course, clearly, if clandestinely, supporting the effort to overthrow Assad.  In the past, Teheran and Moscow would have stepped in to bolster Assad, but it would appear that they are too busy elsewhere to provide adequate support.  Should Hyatt Tahir al-Sham succeed in ousting Assad and taking power in Damascus because of the support of Turkey’s Erdogan, it would represent a significant setback for the Kurds and I would not be surprised to see the radical Islamist “prisons” in the region abandoned by their Kurdish jailers as that group tries to consolidate its defensive posture.  My guess is that the people currently incarcerated in these camps will enthusiastically join in the anti-Assad movement - at least for a time.  Much as we might dislike Assad, what is happening in Syria is not in our national interest.  Al-Jolani is not a moderate and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is not a democratic organization.  What appears to be happening in Syria is a brand of Radical Islam is on the cusp of replacing the thuggery of the Assad family.  More broadly, in the immediate region, Erdogan’s brand of Islamist governance is being strengthend.  I give the Syrian opposition full credit for managing to stay alive under extremely difficult circumstances and Turkey for succeeding in supporting them in the face of opposition from both Washington and Moscow, but I do not like the political direction that they are headed, and I do not believe that anyone in power in Washington is remotely aware of the fundamental issues involved in all of this.

Some among us are proud of having assassinated Osama bin Ladin and “destroying” ISIS, but we are currently in the position of choosing between a thug and a Radical islamist in a country where we have American personnel with guns and no clear purpose.  Al Qaida and ISIS are nothing more than the current face of the danger that we face and Syria is but one of the geographic hot spots where we are in actual contact with it.  Radical Islam is amorphous, just as it is crystal clear in its opposition to Western thought.  It does not hold sway anywhere where people are living a good life - no matter their culture.  Individuals may be infected with it, but not well-fed populations.  In countries with advanced economies and a decent standard of living, individual radicals are an irritant, not a threat.  In poor countries the reverse is true.  Wake the hell up folks.  Over-the-horizon assassination is NOT the solution to the threat.  It is, at best, a tactical tool that almost certainly results in more long term damage than short term success.  Building a strong military is a critical necessity, but it is not a fundamental solution.  Bread and rice are far more important than guns and bullets.