Ex-US defense chief blasts Obama on Syria

Former US secretary of defense Chuck Hagel has criticized the Obama administration for lacking an overarching policy on Syria, the BBC News reported.

In an interview with Foreign Policy magazine (FP), Hagel described long, tedious policy meetings that often concluded without decision.

The moderate Republican served as Obama's defense chief for two tumultuous years from 2013 to 2015.

His tenure ended, he said, with backstabbing and character destruction.

Hagel believes that a coherent US strategy for Syria still has not been fleshed out.

"The administration is still struggling with a political strategy, but Secretary Kerry is making some progress toward the right strategy," Hagel tells the magazine, in reference to talks with Russian, Iranian and Arab leaders.

Hagel's tenure in the Obama administration was marked by contention from the start.

But his criticism of Obama's strategy towards Syria and the fight against the Daesh group is sharp - and is likely to resonate. In short, says Hagel: "We don't have a policy."

Among those Hagel had the worst relationship with was National Security Adviser Susan Rice.

He alleged that meetings chaired by Rice, were long, frequent and fruitless.

However, Hagel seemed to be most critical of Mr Obama's Syria policy.

Joining his boss in opposing a large troop deployment to Syria or Iraq, he insisted however on a clearer diplomatic stance.

In particular, he pointed to an embarrassing Senate hearing, where he was grilled over whether the US would defend the rebels it was training and equipping in Syria from attacks by Assad forces.

Source: MENA