South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Voice of America on Syrian Opposition Coalition President Ahmad Jarba’s first visit to Washington:
On his first visit to Washington this week, Ahmad Jarba, president of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), has faced a daunting challenge: convincing the Obama administration that his organization deserves more support, including lethal weaponry, to counteract the brutal tactics of a regime that appears to be winning Syria’s three-year-old civil war.
U.S. officials admit that their policy toward Syria is not making much headway toward its declared goal of convincing Syria President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
The Geneva diplomatic process that was supposed to agree on a political transition fell apart in February and Assad’s forces – assisted by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah – are continuing to advance.