Reuters quotes Rafik Hariri Center Resident Senior Fellow Frederic C. Hof on President Obama’s decision to send US special operations forces to Syria, and why it may lead more regional powers to provide on-the-ground assistance:
Fred Hof, a former State Department envoy on Syria, said the U.S. deployment of a handful of forces alone was more of a Band-Aid than a game-changer. But it could open doors.
“By putting some ‘skin in the game’ on the ground in Syria, Washington may be able to make a credible pitch to regional powers to provide the ground combat components that can sweep ISIS from Syria,” Hof said, using another common acronym for Islamic State.