Unfortunately, Washington's main objective in Syria isn't fighting terrorism, helping refugees or easing Syrians' suffering; it's about regime change and the restoration of US dominance in the region. That's according to ANSWER Coalition coordinator Richard Becker.





Speaking to�Iran's Press TV on�Friday, Becker suggested that unfortunately, that the prospects for�peace finally coming to�the war-torn country are low.

Asked by�his interviewer why the US has rejected cooperation with�Russia in�the war against�the terrorists in�Syria, Becker argued that it has to�do with�US grand strategy.
"They could certainly cooperate if they wanted to; they can do a lot more if they wanted to, but�that's not really the priority. The United States government does not like�the Islamic State or the Al-Nusra Front, but�their priority is not in�fighting them. Their priority still remains bringing about�a new government in�Syria � regime change. [This] has been the US objective now for�five years."


At the same time, Becker noted that "the United States government is in�a very hostile mode at�this point toward�Russia. The taking of�Montenegro, a tiny country of�600,000 people into�NATO last week prompted comments by�a high-ranking Russian officer, who said that they would take in�the North Pole if it would contribute to�encircling Russia. It's very clear that a top priority for�the United States is moving in�this militarily aggressive way [using] the NATO alliance against�Russia."


Asked to�comment on�UN Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura's remarks about�the need for�closer coordination and cooperation between�Russia and the US, and whether the envoy was aware of�the conflicting viewpoints of�the two countries, Becker suggested that this was a case of "the wish taking precedent over�reality."
"This is what he would hope for�given what his task is� The reality is that we very often we see United Nations spokespersons or appointed heads of�particular missions being extremely frustrated by�the fact there isn't really a basis for�common action by�the US and Russia because of�what I mentioned earlier � that US priorities are really something other than�defeating these extreme-right wing terrorist groups in�Syria."


Ultimately, Becker suggested that "unfortunately for�the people of�Syria, the prospects for�a real agreement do not look bright. What's happened to�Syria is one of�the great tragedies of�modern times, along�with what's happened to�Iraq, and what's happened to�Yemen and what's happened to�Libya, and all these places where Western intervention [essentially] has torn these countries apart."


"This is a truly, truly tragic situation that exists, but�it doesn't have any impact on�what Washington's foreign policy is. They pretend to�be concerned about�the refugees, about�the suffering, but�really they're trying to�maintain, or to�restore a position of�dominance in�the Middle East."


By Sputnik