US policy in Syria nothing less than a catastrophe: Analyst

The Obama administration has realized that its policy in Syria, which calls for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, is “nothing less than a catastrophe,” says an American analyst.

Brian Becker, with the ANSWER Coalition, made the comments after US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday that Assad must step down to allow for a political settlement.

“In fact the Obama administration has been unable to do anything but accept the reality that its own foreign policy in Syria is in shambles,” Becker told Press TV on Sunday.

“It is difficult to match the unmitigated arrogance of US policymakers who believe that they have some legal or political or moral right to determine who should be the leader of different countries,” he said.

“What is interesting is that within Washington political, foreign policy and media establishment the line of separation isn’t between the arrogant and the non-arrogant, it is just over degrees of arrogance,” he further maintained.

Kerry also called on Russia to use its influence over the Syrian leader to convince him to quit his post.

The top diplomat also said that Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria has raised “serious questions” in Washington that Moscow seeks to use its military might to shore up the Syrian government.

“The real problem in Syria is not the Assad government,” Becker said. The Syrian army has been the “most effective military force” fighting the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group in the country, he added.

“The Assad government, even with military setbacks on the ground at different places, is not about to be removed from the power,” the analyst noted.

The White House has also been considering alternative options to prevent its $500 million program to train and arm so-called moderate militants in Syria from total collapse.

Several months into its launch, the program has failed to attract any significant number of Syrian militants. Pentagon officials admitted earlier that only a handful of forces are currently active in Syria.