US-Russia agreement best chance yet for Syria

Laura Rozen reported from Washington this week that White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that Russia is “on the hook” regarding a cessation of hostilities in Syria, which was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council on Feb. 26.

Rather than pointing out why the agreement might fail, and it might, our starting point is that UN Security Council Resolution 2268 and the US-Russia agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Syria are potential breakthroughs. This is not to say that a cease-fire and peace are just around the corner in Syria. The process is uncertain and fragile. It is to say, however, that the only means of getting there is cooperation between Washington and Moscow, so the developments of the past week are a giant step forward.

The agreement calls for sharing targeting information, which will put Russia to the test regarding attacks on Syrian armed groups allied with the United States. The process has also drawn overdue attention to the coordination among various jihadi armed groups, such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam with Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State (IS) are outside the bounds of the cease-fire, so these jihadi groups, which are deeply sectarian and backed by outside powers, and sometimes misleadingly described as “rebels,” will finally be held accountable. This column has warned for more than two years about the blurring of jihadi and terrorist groups in Syria, and we reject any ambiguity that would allow al-Qaeda allies and sympathizers, such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam, to have any role or stake in Syria’s future.