In Montreaux Switzerland today, Syrian peace talks got under way, preliminary to the so-called Geneva II process scheduled for Friday. Nobody thinks the conference will lead to peace. Even optimists call it a "possible first step" to ending three years of appalling civil war. President al Assad has gained strength by giving up chemical weapons and fighting extremists, despite charges that he's a war criminal. Will the US have no choice but to deal with him, rather than ending his rule-if only to gain a temporary ceasefire for humanitarian reasons? We look at today's angry start of a process that might — or might not — lead to changing unacceptable conditions on the ground.
A War of Words about Peace in Syria
Credits
Guests:
- Laura Rozen - Al-Monitor - @lrozen
- Richard Gowan - New York University / European Council on Foreign Relations - @RichardGowan1
- Jeremy Shapiro - Brookings Institution - @JyShapiro
- Randa Slim - Middle East Institute - @rmslim