US Syria Memo Threatens to ‘Plunge the Whole Region Into Complete Chaos’

Ideas aired in the US State Department that Washington should carry out military strikes on Assad forces "make no sense at all," foreign policy analyst Daniel Wagner told Radio Sputnik.

On Friday the New York Times revealed a leaked internal memo, in which dozens of US diplomats expressed disagreement with US President Barack Obama's policy in Syria.

The letter is signed by 51 US State Department officials and calls for the US to carry out military strikes in Syria against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. This, they hope, would enable Washington to ultimately change the Syrian government.

Daniel Wagner, CEO of risk management firm Country Risk Solutions, told Radio Sputnik that the suggestion makes even less sense now, five years after the beginning of conflict in Syria.

"I'm mystified by this entire episode, I really don't understand why these people in the State Department would be writing this memo in the first place, five years after the conflict had started."

"Secondly, I don't know why they would imagine that Mr Obama would be shifting gears with seven months left in office, it makes no sense at all," Wagner said.

On Friday Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the State Department's revelation, and said that the US regime change approach "could plunge the whole region into complete chaos."

Wagner said that he agreed with that assessment, and highlighted US allies in the region who are taking a more pragmatic approach than of the State Department.

"That's the calculation that the Israelis seem to have made from the beginning. They looked at the tea leaves and they said, 'What's the alternative to him?' It could al-Qaeda, ISIS (Daesh), other jihadist groups, would we rather have him or them? We'd rather have him," Wagner said.

"It seems to me that is more true than ever today. At least we know what we are dealing with and (have) some semblance of stability, at least at the moment."

 Wagner rejected the idea that the State Department's letter is part of a campaign to pressure Moscow into changing its stance on Assad's government.

"I don't think there's much chance of that. Mr Putin has shown that his arm isn't going to be twisted no matter what anyone says or does, I don't know why anyone would have a view to the contrary. He's in a very strong position, Russia's in a very strong position and I think the US knows that."