Obama Tells Pentagon: Open Communication Channel with Russia on Syria

Just one day after Obama and Putin’s tete-a-tete, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter instructed his staff to establish a line of communication with Moscow “to ensure the safety of U.S. and Russian military operations,” reports the Guardian.

While Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the primary purpose of the collaboration is to “avoid conflict in the air” between the two militaries, he did not rule out the channel as a potential mechanism for full-on cooperation with the Russian military against the Islamic State.

Observers have raised questions over Russia’s unprecedented out-of-area military in Syria. Some worry that in their attempt to support Syrian president Bashar al-Assad they may use their air power to attack the few anti-Assad rebels currently being trained by the U.S. to fight the Islamic State.

France Opens Assad Crimes Against Humanity Probe

France has begun an investigation into Bashar al-Assad’s government for alleged crimes against humanity, a judicial source told AFP on Wednesday. This came shortly after global leaders argued at the United Nations over Assad’s fate.

The initial inquiry, launched on September 15, is mainly based on evidence from a former Syrian army photographer known as “Caesar,” who defected and fled the country in 2013. With him he carried 55,000 graphic images that document crimes committed by the Syrian government between 2011 and 2013.

“Faced with these crimes that offend the human conscience, this bureaucracy of horror, faced with this denial of the values of humanity, it is our responsibility to act against the impunity of the assassins,” French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement to AFP.

Russian Parliament Grants Putin Right to Use Military Force in Syria

Russia’s parliament on Wednesday unanimously granted President Vladimir Putin the right to send the country’s military into Syria, although a top Kremlin aide told Reuters the carte blanche related only to the air force.

Sergei Ivanov, head of the Kremlin administration, said that official government approval was needed in order for Russian forces to legitimately operate in Syria, adding that President Assad had asked for Moscow’s military assistance.

While some Middle Eastern media outlets have already reported on Russian airstrikes in Syria over the past few days, the Kremlin declined to confirm this.

Saudi Arabia Claims ‘No Future’ for Assad

Saudi Arabia has given President Assad an ultimatum: Cede power or be removed by force.

“There is no future for Assad in Syria,” Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told the Guardian at the U.N. General Assembly summit on Tuesday. “There are two options for a settlement in Syria. One option is a political process where there would be a transitional council. The other option is a military option, which also would end with the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power.”

Saudia Arabia’s move raises global pressure on the war-torn country, at a time when Russia is sending unprecedented amounts of military support to Syria in an effort to bolster the besieged Syrian leader.

Recommended Reads

• The New York Times: Russia Buildup Seen as Fanning Flames in Syria -The Associated Press: After Ruinous War, Syria Regions May Go Separate Ways
• The Guardian: A Chilling Handshake Between Obama and Putin, While Syria Disintegrates
• Time: The Syrian Refugee Crisis Shows Far More Young People Want to Flee War Than Fight It
• Reuters: Bombs, Shells Especially Deadly for Women, Children in Syrian War: Research
• The Washington Post: Most Syrian Refugees Are Just Too Poor to Flee to Europe