Retired U.S. Army Maj. General Paul Vallely says there is no doubt Russia is running the show in Syria and he says the only successful path forward is convincing Vladimir Putin to abandon the Assad regime for the good of Russia and the region.
Vallely recently spent several days in Europe, evaluating the refugee crisis and meeting with key officials, most notably Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who serves as Putin’s chief envoy to Syria and the Middle East.
The general says Bogdanov didn’t say much but listened intently and certainly conveyed the belief that Putin is calling the shots in Syria.
“They know we have very weak leadership in the United States. We have no strategy that works or will work in the Middle East. He knew that Russians were basically controlling the chessboard and nothing will happen in Syria unless something is done with the Russians. That’s just the way it is,” said Vallely.
During their talks in Paris, Vallely laid out his multi-point plan for solving the Syrian crisis to Bogdanov.
“Nothing will happen in Syria, as I’ve said on TV, radio and to the ambassador until Assad retires and is removed,” said Vallely, who urged the Russians to take several immediate steps.
“First thing, cease fire. Quit bombing the Free Syrian Army and civilians that the Russians have been doing. They been hitting almost no ISIS targets at all. We got this from inside Syria through our intel operatives there. Assad’s got to step down, be replaced by a new government and then they can proceed with the reunification and restoration and get Syria pulled back together as a unified country and people,” said Vallely, who still firmly believes that supporting the Free Syrian Army is the smartest way to achieve a secular, stable Syria.
The Vallely plan calls for Assad to be deposed and a resettlement zone to be established in western Syria to allow for the return of refugees while a coalition consisting of the U.S., Russia and several other regional nations to destroy ISIS. Once successful, Syrians would be returned to their towns and villages and a redevelopment and reconstruction plan would be implemented to get the nation back on it’s feet.
Of course, there’s one major problem facing the plan before it even starts: Russia is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and says its entire purpose for the current military operations to keep Assad in power and remove the threat to his rule.
Vallely admits changing Putin’s mind about Assad will not be easy, but he says the key is to use more carrot than stick.
“How do you make Putin a hero in all this? Well, number one, he can be the one that helps unify Syria. He can be the one that helps destroy ISIS. Third, they can be part of the economic development program for a new Syria,” said Vallely.
“It’s like ‘Let’s Make a Deal.’ Like Donald Trump says, you can make a deal with these guys but there has to be something in it for them. What’s in it for them in the long term is an oil pipeline across Syria, the benefits of reconstruction and development of high tech cities and manufacturing in Syria. So a lot of things could be done that Russia would benefit from,” said Vallely.
Vallely also traveled to Vienna to observe the human tide of refugees entering Europe. He says the simplest answer is to end the fighting in Syria under a new government and return the refugees. He says that’s vital because there’s no way of knowing how many radicals are mixed in with the migrants.
“The problem is they’re not vetting any of them. Unless you vet them and profile them in some way, you’re never going to find out. Obviously, ISIS is using the refugee program to infiltrate into Europe,” said Vallely.
He says a major headache for European nations is that many of these people have enough money to buy train tickets to other European nations and once there they can declare refugee status, which must be honored under existing agreements.
Vallely believes most of them want to return to their homelands, but in the meantime, they are quickly changing the complexion of Europe.
“Paris is overrun by Muslims right now. It is incredible. Even the beggars on the street were elderly women or young, pregnant girls. But Paris has been overrun. It’s an incredible situation to see,” said Vallely.
