Is Assad seeking asylum?
By Jamie Crawford
U.S. officials have said for months that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's days in power are numbered.
A fight to the death might seem a more plausible outcome as the carnage of the Syrian civil war approaches its second year.
But the idea of asylum in a third country is an option that is also emerging in questions over Assad's fate.
The complexities of a successful flight from Syria, however, could complicate any hope that Assad harbors for a clean get away.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Wednesday that Faisal al-Miqdad, the Syrian deputy foreign minister, recently traveled to Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador with personal letters from Assad looking at the possibility of political asylum for himself and his family if he were forced to leave Damascus.
But there is no indication that Assad is ready to abandon his powers yet, according to multiple sources in the United States, Europe and the Arab world. U.S. officials have made it clear that Assad's decision is in his own hands.
"That will require the Assad regime making the decision to participate in a political transition, ending the violence against his own people," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters while traveling to NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday.
"And we hope they do so because we believe, as you know, that their fall is inevitable," she said.
And the question of whether Assad seeks an offer of asylum is not as important for the United States, as are the responsibilities of the government that ultimately accepts him to make certain he is held accountable for the actions of his regime.
"A number of countries have offered" asylum to Assad, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said last month while declining to name specific countries. "We want to get him out of there so we can move on. That said, we also support accountability for him and for everybody else with blood on their hands."
And that certainly could be why Assad might find the three Latin American countries as an appealing destination.
While Cuba and Venezuela have made no secret of their anti-U.S. and western views over the years, Ecuador's leftist government has shown its resistance to U.S. policies as well, and could be hesitant to hand Assad over for prosecution.
Ecuador is currently offering WikiLeak's founder Julian Assange asylum in its British Embassy, as he resists extradition to Sweden.
But questions over the ultimate longevity of those governments might give Assad pause, some analysts say.
"Ecuador, Venezuela, Cuba are countries where he could feel safe for the time being but he has to be concerned about a shift in the winds in any of those governments as well," Scott Horton, an international law expert at Columbia University, told CNN. "And certainly no one expects the regimes in those three states to continue indefinitely."
Saudi Arabia, which has a history of accepting repressive dictators like Uganda's Idi Amin and Tunisia's Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali into exile, is not likely to figure in Assad's calculus with the government in Riyadh currently assisting and arming the rebel groups that seek his overthrow.
For many analysts who follow the situation, they say Iran has gone to great lengths to keep the Assad government in power and likely would be the most hospitable to Assad's situation should he choose to leave Syria.
"President Assad could go multiple places throughout the world," Andrew Tabler, a long-time Syria watcher who spent years living in the country, told CNN. "The question is how long can he survive there, how long can he really live in security before someone goes after him and his family, and Tehran is safer."
With Assad's Syria seen as Iran's principal ally in the Arab world and a conduit to its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran likely would not have much interest in Assad leaving while still holding significant portions of Syria within his grip.
Russia, with its long time support for Assad and opposition to international efforts to oust him from power, has been mentioned as another possible destination for Assad. But that, too, may be a dwindling option.
"I think that the Russians at the moment are realizing that they are going to have to deal with a new Syria," Tabler, now with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said. "It's going to be hard to deal with a new Syria when they are harboring, or possibly harboring the former president."
As countries make even informal offers of asylum to Assad, the United States continues to express what it believes is their responsibility to make sure that issues of Assad's accountability inside Syria are addressed.
"We've been quite clear publicly, and I would assume we've been equally clear privately," Deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Wednesday.
But Assad's possible departure, while a welcome prospect to many in the international community, could open the door to even more instability in the country.
With the majority Sunni opposition enraged at the minority Alawite Assad regime for the many months of ruthless aerial and artillery strikes on civilians, analysts say his departure would likely hasten a scenario of revenge killings across the country on a much larger scale.
U.S. officials said they have long been planning for "the day after Assad" – such as training Jordanian troops to provide security. But for now, they just hope Syria will keep its chemical weapons under wraps.
In the end, Assad is still seen as having the vast support of his Alawite sect, that of the Iranian government, and with it, a ruthless ability to stay and fight to the end. Whether his inner core of support will ultimately see that as the best option, remains to be seen.
"The question is will his sect decide that President Assad has to leave as part of any transition in the country," Tabler said. "I think there is a real chance he will huddle along with his sect. The question is whether his sect will want to huddle with him or not."
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
Good post! We are linking to this particularly great article on our website. Keep up the great writing.
http://emilianov14y2.targetblogs.com/5856715/repair-shop-no-further-a-mystery
http://outlink.webkicks.de/dref.cgi?job=outlink&url=https://seopostfalls.com/
Howdy! This blog post couldnít be written much better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I am going to send this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a great read. I appreciate you for sharing!
https://sc.hkex.com.hk/gb/www.handtucher.net/blogs/business/recreation_and_sports/aviation/recreation_and_sports/aviation/?s=H
https://www.banan.cz/goto.php?url=https://beritarakyat.asia/gempa-53-sr-kembali-guncang-lombok-timur/
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you ought to write more about this issue, it might not be a taboo matter but usually people do not discuss these subjects. To the next! Cheers!!
https://cqrcengage.com/nma/app/thru?communicationId=582&edrId=452751&url=https://ocrv.pro/rv-remodel-near-me
http://clubs.london.edu/click?uid=24ce7c96-76b4-11e6-8631-0050569d64d5&r=http://onefiveent.anavdesign.com/comment/38822
Pretty! This was an incredibly wonderful article. Many thanks for providing this information.
https://nanostandards.ansi.org/banner_click.php?id=2&url=http://karyalins.blogspot.com/2020/02/rv-bathroom-remodel-supplies.html
Hello there! I could have sworn Iíve been to this site before but after browsing through some of the posts I realized itís new to me. Regardless, Iím certainly happy I discovered it and Iíll be book-marking it and checking back often!
http://themza.com/redirect.php?r=www.ocrv.fun/rv-frame-repair-near-me
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Many thanks, However I am going through problems with your RSS. I donít know the reason why I can't subscribe to it. Is there anybody else having the same RSS problems? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
https://www.igive.com/isearch/NonStoreExit.cfm?type=1&isid=0df7d37f-4feb-4f0f-b472-1df60f43914d&rurl=http://ocrvmotorcoaches.com/rv-repair-shop-north-hills-california
http://bet-royale.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=sprintervanrepairnearme.com/
Right here is the perfect webpage for everyone who would like to understand this topic. You understand so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need toÖHaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a topic that has been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
http://infocommiq-catalogs.avnetwork.com/avcat/ctl_externallink.cfm?linktype=rfi_mfrlink&mlc_id=11712&pin_id=8438&newsid=20914&eurl=http://ocrvcenter.mobi/rv-repair-shop-rosemead-california
http://co-concepts.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.rvmarketingexperts.com/
https://sso.iiaba.net/login.aspx?a=wa&r=https://sprintervanrepairnearme.com
http://www.amazonhorizons.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=sprinterrepairnearme.com
Good web site you've got here.. Itís hard to find high quality writing like yours nowadays. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
http://imagenetofficesystems.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=oc-rv.com/
http://www.samosa.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=nearmyspot.com
Everyone loves it when individuals get together and share ideas. Great site, continue the good work!
http://www.softbooks.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.affordableranking.com
https://www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining/professional/pages/redir.axd?ciid=671&cachename=advertising&pagegroupid=212&url=http://ocrv.vip/rv-repair-shop-la-tuna-canyon-california
There is certainly a lot to learn about this subject. I like all of the points you made.
http://d-click.cesa.org.br/u/4762/1839/1078/11584_0/5d8f0/?url=https://sprintervanrepair.com/
Good web site you've got here.. Itís difficult to find excellent writing like yours these days. I really appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
http://www.gazzettaweb.net/it/utilities/send_to_friend/?url=http://ocrvmotorsports.biz&version=printable
http://jrb.ask-oxford.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=sprintervanrepair.com
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up and the rest of the website is really good.
http://www.christmannco.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=fleettruckrepairshop.com/
http://www.jabholdings.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.quotenearme.com/
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it won't fail me as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read, nonetheless I actually believed you would have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you could fix if you weren't too busy searching for attention.
https://cqrcengage.com/nma/app/thru?communicationId=582&edrId=452751&url=https://ocrvart.com/rv-repair-shop-national-city-california
http://allprodomains.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.info/
Very good information. Lucky me I discovered your blog by accident (stumbleupon). I've bookmarked it for later!
https://www.dvnlp.de/profile/gruppe/redirect/5?url=sprinterrepairnearme.com/
http://www.scion-laurelsucks.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=fleetservicerepairshop.com/
You have made some good points there. I looked on the net for additional information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.
http://www.digitalstage.jp/go/r/r.cgi?t=https://ocrv.world/rv-repair-shop-paramount-california
Excellent site you have got here.. Itís hard to find quality writing like yours nowadays. I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
http://www.vets.ne.jp/cgi/jump_link.cgi?URL=bulknearme.com/
http://www.expatjobs.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvshop.com/
Keep this going please, ?reat job! Visit my page MYKEYWORD
http://abc.com
https://maps.google.gy/url?q=http://youtube.com/watch?v=m3_Mx2MHh7w
Itís hard to come by educated people for this subject, but you seem like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks
https://foro.infojardin.com/proxy.php?link=http://youtube.com/watch?v=IVT-lIXB2dA
Iím impressed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog thatís both equally educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something which too few folks are speaking intelligently about. I'm very happy I stumbled across this during my search for something regarding this.
https://horizoninteractiveawards.com/index.php?URL=www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqHgcHBWM5w/
http://www.e-tsuyama.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?jumpto=http://youtube.com/watch?v=z3icc3y3DsY/
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It is the little changes which will make the greatest changes. Many thanks for sharing!
http://www.sweetpaulmag.com/Redirect.aspx?destination=http://youtube.com/watch?v=–JqyaAhUYU/34zxVq8
https://music-style.info/music-style/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=7897&url=https://curtismelancon.com
Everything is very open with a really clear clarification of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your site is useful. Many thanks for sharing!
https://hammer.x0.to/cgi/search/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=6289&url=https://ocrvcenter.org
Hi, I do think this is an excellent website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to revisit once again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.
https://www.pocketpc.ch/redirect-to/?redirect=https://bestservicenearme.com
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this article! It is the little changes that make the largest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
http://www.lakepowellhomes.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=carsonrvexperience.com
http://love.okchatroom.com/lovelove/link.php?url=http://fleetservicesocrv.com/
https://s5.histats.com/stats/r.php?869637&100&47794&urlr=&dallas-chain-link-fence91096.newbigblog.com/661197/examine-this-report-on-trailer-tires-near-me
Very good information. Lucky me I ran across your blog by accident (stumbleupon). I've bookmarked it for later!
/
Good web site you have here.. It’s hard to find quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
http://rs.rikkyo.ac.jp/rs/error/ApplicationError.aspx?TopURL=http://tacoytequila.com/bg-27/
http://clubs.london.edu/click?r=http://hootnholler.net/implementing-recommendations-to-improve-womens-health-contemporary-obgyn/
https://www.gemeentemol.be/tellafriend.aspx?url=https://pmcassetmanagementcorp.com/a-digital-prescription-for-the-pharma-industry/
/
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the best sites on the internet. I will highly recommend this blog!
http://track.affsrc.com/track/clicks/3171/c627c2b89e0522dbfe9cbd2e8d2b8914736245cb75e9f0ab416db1046005?t=freeimagedownloadhd-162.blogspot.com/2021/01/print-shop-near-me-stop-and-shop-near.html
I'm extremely pleased to discover this great site. I wanted to thank you for ones time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely savored every little bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to check out new stuff on your website.
http://etracker.de/lnkcnt.php?et=mjVFaK&url=https://claytonh71u1.blogofchange.com/5134806/the-5-second-trick-for-internet-marketing-consultant
Your style is so unique compared to other folks I have read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I'll just bookmark this web site.
https://track.aftermarket.pl/track.php?ref=&url=https://uccadia.com/la-lutte-contre-le-coronavirus-paralysera-surement-le-secteur-du-transport-aerien-pendant-des-mois/
http://s5.histats.com/stats/r.php?1484558&100&34851&urlr=&kylero92r0.blog4youth.com/4572947/about-rv-batteries-shop-near-me
http://amp.wte.net/t.aspx?S=23&ID=5679&NL=1431&N=6739&SI=881487&url=https://lisantewahdo.org/index.php/details/item/673-2?start=2380
http://hammer.x0.to/cgi/search/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=6289&url=https://www.sprinterrepairnearme.com/
That is a good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate info… Many thanks for sharing this one. A must read article!
https://www.edamam.com/widget/nutrition.jsp?widgetKey=4a7071d1-178b-4780-b73e-73fb5b417a60&url=http://boxtruckrepairshop.com/camper-van-repair-shop-near-me/
http://click.app4mobile-services.biz/storeLink/?url=https://ocrvcenter.info/
http://www.cresme.it/click.aspx?url=https://internetmarketingmontana.com
https://tempechamber.glueup.com/track/redirect?type=campaign&lid=49&tracking_id=%5BtrackingId%5D&redirect_url=http://ocrv.vip
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article plus the rest of the website is also very good.
http://t.ants.vn/a1/c/?bc=af837a70c7,l1486771201959,1486882192,v,1,568743473,568730659,568732269,31648,1,583125423,583125416,5,0_1&t_s=568743473-583125423-568732269:1&t_z=&t_tp=&t_itr=&t_imk=&t_rm=&c_tp=31647:1&c_itr=-1:-1&c_imk=-1:-1&c_rm=&redirect=http://sprintervanrepairnearme.com
https://www.portalfarma.com/paginas/redirigir.aspx?redirect=http://boxtruckrepairshop.com/sprinter-van-body-shop-near-me
http://etracker.de/lnkcnt.php?et=qPKGYV&url=https://developingprospects.com
https://home.uceusa.com/Redirect.aspx?r=http://http://bjsnearme.comproduct-category/cuban-cigars/cohiba/
https://www.adminer.org/redirect/?url=https://www.boxtruckrepairshop.com/rv-maintenance-shop-near-me
https://emex.ru/error?url=https://fleetservicerepairshop.com/tow-truck-repair-shop-near-me/
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!! I absolutely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have got you book-marked to check out new stuff you post…
https://www.dartn.de/redirect/?url=https://ocrvfleetservices.com/sprinter-van-frame-repair-shop-near-me
/
Howdy! I just wish to give you a huge thumbs up for the excellent information you've got right here on this post. I'll be coming back to your website for more soon.
http://hammer.x0.to/cgi/search/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=6289&url=http://bebeautylife.com/2020/01/23/36-professional-work-outfit-ideas-for-plus-size-women/
Good site you've got here.. It’s difficult to find high quality writing like yours nowadays. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!
/
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thanks, However I am encountering difficulties with your RSS. I don’t understand why I can't subscribe to it. Is there anybody else having the same RSS problems? Anyone that knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
https://drmshk.com/link.php?url=https://edrluthier.com/ps-0
http://cimerr.postech.ac.kr/votal/jump.php?url=http://article.rabia.co.in/113960/how-to-do-analysis-as-well-locate-the-most-effective-trailer-repairs-near-me/
http://bbs.cfish.idv.tw/link.php?url=http://coinreads.com/2017/02/05/rapid-review-of-hematology/
Your style is very unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this site.
/
https://webmail.unige.it/horde/util/go.php?url=http://labortemporis.net/shop/en/blog/11_XV-century-ring.html
http://vanpeople.com/space/link.php?url=myaspenridge.com/board/board_topic/3180173/3217479.htm?page=12
Your style is so unique compared to other folks I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I'll just bookmark this web site.
http://www.naniwa-search.com/search/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=23&url=http://www.ppcpostfalls.com/
http://dmca.com/Protection/Status.aspx?ID=edc817fd-d796-4c84-abb8-d1cb5b2e3719&refurl=http://bonus-books.com/maserati-forums
http://parkcities.bubblelife.com/click/c3592/?url=http://postfallsphotographer.com
http://yamato4u.cside.com/ys4/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=1809&url=http://forkliftswildwestlifttrucks.com/walk-behind-forklift-repair-orange-county-california
I really like reading through an article that can make people think. Also, thanks for allowing for me to comment!
http://www.pcpitstop.com/offsite.asp?https://ocrvshop.com/motorhome-furniture-repair-near-me
https://surveys.montclair.edu/survey/preview.jsp?surveyid=1326825217719&url=https://ocrv.guru/rv-repair-shop-long-beach-california
http://server.tongbu.com/tbcloud/gmzb/gmzb.aspx?appleid=699470139&from=tui_jump&source=4001&url=http://forkliftswildwestlifttrucks.com/placentia-forklifts
https://lcu.hlcommission.org/lcu/pages/auth/forgotPassword.aspx?Returnurl=https://ocrv.art/motorhome-mattress-repair-near-me
Saved as a favorite, I love your web site!
http://www.deri-ou.com/url.php?url=https://www.incomewolf.com/
http://happylife.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.biz/rv-camera-repair-near-me
https://pages.audioteka.com/app/rdir.php?rdir=https://ocrv.mobi/rv-repair-shop-laguna-hills-california
I was able to find good information from your blog articles.
https://www.lipperhey.com/en/songwritingsociety.com/
http://www.cssdrive.com/?URL=ocrvmotorsports.com/rv-repair-shop-imperial-beach-california
http://www.music-style.info/music-style/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=7897&url=https://www.marketingpostfalls.com
This is a topic that's close to my heart... Take care! Where are your contact details though?
https://www.continental-industry.com/catalogs/iap/Language/Switch?culture=en-GB&returnUrl=https://ocrv.org/motorhome-kitchen-repair-near-me
&id=1070977&business_id=2069
https://ams.ceu.edu/optimal/optimal.php?url=https://ocrv.org/rv-repair-shop-lake-elsinore-california
Greetings! Very useful advice within this post! It's the little changes that produce the most important changes. Many thanks for sharing!
https://smart.link/5bb788a3d5b83?site_id=Web_NBCS_Philly&creative_id=nbcsphi1356&cp_4=ocrv.org/rv-repair-shop-beverly-hills-california
http://www.gmwebsite.com/web/redirect.asp?url=https://fleetservicerepairshop.com/ford-high-top-van-repair-shop-near-me
That is a very good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very precise information… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
http://biz.timesfreepress.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=fleetrepairshops.com/sprinter-van-alignment-shop-near-me
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve visited your blog before but after looking at some of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m certainly pleased I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
https://www.podcastone.com/site/rd?satype=40&said=4&aaid=email&camid=-4999600036534929178&url=https://ocrv.vip/class-c-collision-repair-shop-near-me
Very nice write-up. I certainly appreciate this website. Keep it up!
https://track.aftermarket.pl/track.php?ref=&url=https://ocrv.guru/rv-repair-shop-highland-california
You've made some really good points there. I checked on the web for more information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.
https://cloud.squirrly.co/go34692/ocrv.pro/rv-repair-shop-cerritos-california
After I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there an easy method you can remove me from that service? Cheers!
http://sns.emtg.jp/gospellers/l?url=https://ocrvmotorsports.com/rv-repair-shop-agoura-hills-california
https://dsu.regione.marche.it/Logout.aspx?Returnurl=https://ngg.ng/mugabes-humiliation-in-nigeria-tops-zimbabwean-newspaper-headlines-see-photos/
http://dlibrary.mediu.edu.my/cgi-bin/koha/tracklinks.pl?uri=https://pointfinal.biz/relecteur/index.php?post/2010/12/20/rien-ne-remplace-l-oeil-du-relecteur