Chatham House: West needs a more effective policy towards Syria

There is an urgent need for a more strategic approach to the overall Western response to the crisis in Syria and its immediate neighbourhood, according to a new report by a leading think tank here Sunday. Chatham House argues that a more effective Western strategy must be based on moving away from the simplified popular depiction of the conflict as primarily sectarian and religiously based. Such a strategy needs to involve clearer objectives, including ending violence, minimizing killing, and preventing state collapse, said the paper, written by a group of prominent researchers at the centre. The think tank, also known as the Royal Institute for International Affairs, underscored the need to target areas where the West has leverage. It highlighted the importance to move beyond the focus on uniting the opposition under the umbrella of the Syrian National Coalition and to involve "a broader swathe of Syrian opinion." The study stressed that in the face of the mounting crisis in Syria over the past two and a half years, Western governments (primarily those of the United States, United Kingdom and France) have oscillated between explicit demands for President Bashar Al-Assad to leave and implicit acceptance of him as a viable partner in UN-brokered peace negotiations. During this time, they have moved from considering military intervention to including Al-Assad in the Geneva II meeting, tentatively scheduled for January 2014, following his agreement to surrender Syrias chemical weapons in September, the report pointed out. Referring again to Western positions, the paper recalled that Western powers have thus not been as consistent as those expounded by the main supporters of the Syrian government (primarily Russia and Iran). In parallel, but not directly linked to negotiations, Western governments have taken the lead in coordinating humanitarian efforts for up to half of the Syrian population, which is now in urgent need of assistance, the paper pointed out. The recommendations proposed for Western governments include identifying clearer objectives and prioritizing what matters most in Syria. Moreover, the report underlined the need to safeguard the integrity of the state and what remains of civil society and to focus on areas where there is leverage. Besides, the researchers also highlighted the importance of engaging with a wider set of Syrian actors and involving the civil society more broadly. It is also important for the west "to plan for reforming post-conflict security institutions and to think about how to guarantee post-conflict security and to see the UN as more than a humanitarian and coordinating agency, " the paper suggested.