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."
soundoff (730 Responses)
« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next »Leave a Reply to RV Technician Orange County
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
https://www.vans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LinkShareGateway?siteID=IFCTyuu33gI-HmTv1Co9oM2RT1QCkYxD_Q&source=LSA&storeId=10153&url=https://alexis2h8e7.blogunok.com/34zxVq8
When I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. There has to be a means you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!
http://www.loome.net/demo.php?url=https://humandesignforeveryone.com/board/board_topic/5096042/2479131.htm?page=2
bookmarked!!, I really like your blog!
http://www.webclap.com/php/jump.php?url=https://tomspeed.de/index.php?option=com_phocaguestbook&view=phocaguestbook&id=1&Itemid=53&t=20&el_mcal_month=1&el_mcal_year=2016&limitstart=120
http://www.osbar.org/secured/plf/remote_logout.asp?returnurl=https://www.www.dekut.com/out/rv-repair-shop-in-orange-county-california
https://www.tanken.ne.jp/cate/fhhanpu/rl_out.cgi?id=ox8448&url=http://www.s.bitsharesmedia.com/32fMUEH
You made some good points there. I checked on the web to learn more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.
http://laurette-theatre.fr/fr/cat564793-255042-leo-sauveur-du-temps-spectacle-enfant-paris-ticket-reduc.html?NewSessionId=ffbfe145497096c6|b72da42e74aefccc&return=ocrvcenter.com/
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
http://bigdealsmedia.net/include/sort.php?return_url=http://ocrvcenter.com&sort=a:3:s:9:â€directionâ€;s:3:â€ASCâ€;s:5:â€fieldâ€;s:15:â€Items.PriceListâ€;s:5:â€labelâ€;s:9:â€value_ascâ€;
http://www.supcourt.ru/bitrix/redirect.php?goto=http://ocrvcenter.comholostyak-stb-2021
http://track.ieema.org/skm/link/load/?uid=59fc532e1f2b1d245b8b457f-59fc5412ffa23e5f798bf0f8-59fc533f1f2b1d245b8b4580&uri=http://www.ocrvcenter.com
How do I easily integrate my wordpress blog on my Joomla site?
https://www.facebook.com/KateKowalskyWebMarketing
I could not resist commenting. Perfectly written!
http://spacelordsthegame.com/switch-lang/es?switch=https://www.ocrvcenter.com/
Excellent post! We are linking to this great content on our website. Keep up the good writing.
https://isitmeorisdown.com/ocrvcenter.com/
After going over a handful of the articles on your web page, I honestly like your technique of blogging. I book-marked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please visit my website too and let me know your opinion.
http://stationsweb.nl/verkeer.asp?site=ocrvcenter.com/
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
http://dinersclubcard.ru/bitrix/rk.php?id=48&event1=banner&event2=click&event3=1+/+8+bottom+diners+club+privileges&goto=https://ocrvcenter.com/
I was pretty pleased to uncover this website. I wanted to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely appreciated every bit of it and I have you book-marked to check out new information in your site.
http://www.sitescout.com/iap/ca50fc23ca711ca4?cookieQ=1&r=ocrvcenter.com/
Hello there, I believe your web site might be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your site in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in IE, it's got some overlapping issues. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, wonderful site!
https://pcreducator.com/Common/SSO.aspx?returnUrl=www.ocrvcenter.com
http://celettenorthamerica.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=reviewnearme.com
Hi there! This blog post could not be written much better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I'll forward this article to him. Fairly certain he's going to have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!
http://tourismchiangrai.com/goto.php?id=6&goto=https://juicycalls.com/
http://viscounty.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=codymarketing.com
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I certainly loved every little bit of it. I have you book-marked to check out new things you postÖ
http://jimsfamilyrestaurants.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=orangecountyrvrepair.com
http://closings.cbs6albany.com/scripts/adredir.asp?url=https://juicycalls.com
http://dietarymenus.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ppcpostfalls.com/
Good day! I could have sworn Iíve been to your blog before but after looking at some of the articles I realized itís new to me. Regardless, Iím definitely delighted I found it and Iíll be bookmarking it and checking back often!
http://kidshealth.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=postfallsbootcamp.com
Everything is very open with a clear description of the issues. It was truly informative. Your website is very useful. Many thanks for sharing!
http://wantedmanagement.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvshop.com
I quite like looking through an article that will make people think. Also, many thanks for permitting me to comment!
http://cloudecrypter.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.vip
http://hobodataloggers.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.tv
http://d-click.sindilat.com.br/u/6186/643/710/1050_0/4bbcb/?url=https://ocrvcenter.biz/
https://m.comss.info/url.php?url=https://reviewnearme.com/
http://www.vb2themax.com/lula_out.php?link=https://rvcollisionrepairpaintshop.com/
I really love your blog.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you develop this site yourself? Please reply back as Iím wanting to create my own site and want to know where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Many thanks!
http://iinet2.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=masternearme.com
http://nat-turner.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=curtismelancon.com
http://pmaellc.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.life
http://www.greenworld.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=cdaseo.com
http://bayarea.hirecentral.com/home/redirect/?site=https://ocrvcenter.biz
http://flycanadian.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.ocrvart.com/
http://buyacademy.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.ocrv.guru/
Everything is very open with a very clear clarification of the challenges. It was definitely informative. Your website is very helpful. Thank you for sharing!
http://bluetooth.gm/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=orangecountysocialmediamarketingexperts.com/
http://refurbisherswarehouse.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=consciousgrowthmarketing.com/
http://d-click.eou.com.br/u/210/88/16386/291/af9db/?url=https://theocrv.com/
You are so interesting! I don't suppose I've truly read anything like this before. So good to discover another person with a few genuine thoughts on this topic. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is one thing that is needed on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!
http://nicelaptops.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.backbonehunters.com
http://holybusan.bhcm.kr/cgi/technote/print.cgi?board=ETC_PDA&link=https://consciousgrowthmarketing.com/
I really like looking through an article that will make men and women think. Also, many thanks for permitting me to comment!
http://osbornbarr.info/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=consciousgrowthmarketing.com
http://comparar.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=consciousgrowthmarketing.com
http://adslotinc.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=consciousgrowthmarketing.com
May I simply say what a relief to uncover a person that truly knows what they are talking about on the internet. You actually know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. A lot more people ought to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you are not more popular given that you surely have the gift.
http://www.emilysbeauty.com/guestbook07/go.php?url=https://theocrv.com/
I was able to find good information from your content.
http://www.brampton.com/links/redirect.php?url=https://ocrvcenter.com/
http://www.whatsmywebsiteworth.info/value.php?site=www.ocrv.mobi
http://akashvani.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.tv
Very nice write-up. I definitely appreciate this website. Stick with it!
http://gotaxi.net/cgi-bin/out?id=gotoru&url=https://commercialvanrepairshop.com/
After I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a means you are able to remove me from that service? Cheers!
http://vistallc.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=masteringthemanwithin.com
http://pleadingpal.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrv.tv
http://radioarlan.ru/redirect.php?url=http://ocrvcenter.mobi/
Right here is the right website for anyone who wishes to understand this topic. You know so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually would want toÖHaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject that has been discussed for a long time. Excellent stuff, just great!
https://www.k-to.ru/bitrix/rk.php?goto=http://customcampervans.com
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It will always be exciting to read articles from other writers and practice a little something from their sites.
http://casinolayouts.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=realchrisburns.com
Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it doesn't disappoint me just as much as this particular one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I truly thought you would have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you can fix if you weren't too busy searching for attention.
http://katphoto.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=menmastermind.com
I'm very happy to uncover this page. I want to to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely savored every part of it and I have you book-marked to check out new stuff on your web site.
https://triumph-hannover.de/de/TriumphContent/LeavePage?url=https://ocrvpaintandservice.com
I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. I'm hoping to view the same high-grade content by you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own site now 😉
http://artexpousa.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=mastermindformen.com
I'm very happy to discover this page. I wanted to thank you for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely liked every bit of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to look at new stuff in your website.
http://abstractsonline.de/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=sprintervanrepairshop.com
http://www.wildthumbs.com/cgi-bin/atx/out.cgi?&s=57&c=1&u=https://ocrvshop.com
http://www.smyw.org/cgi-bin/atc/out.cgi?id=312&u=earme.a2hosted.com/
http://americanpost.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.ocrvmotorsports.us
http://1-800rentnow.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvmotorsports.biz
Everything is very open with a precise explanation of the challenges. It was truly informative. Your site is useful. Many thanks for sharing!
http://www.qlt-online.de/cgi-bin/click/clicknlog.pl?link=http://ocrvpaintandservice.com/
http://www.nsbackup.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bulknearme.com
There is certainly a great deal to learn about this topic. I like all of the points you've made.
http://escape2london.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bestservicenearme.com/
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon everyday. It will always be useful to read through content from other writers and use a little something from other sites.
http://www.pamav.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bestshopnearme.com
http://polyonedirect.net/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=bjsnearme.com
I have a domain that is redirecting it views to my main site. I want to build a wordpress site on that domain but i cant access my admin for wordpress because it just redirects me to my main site. I don't want to take my domain off redirect until the wordpress site is done. So what do i do?. It is redirected thru my registrar. How would i login with my IP?.
https://twitter.com/katekdesigns
Best view i have ever seen !
https://community.nfpa.org/external-link.jspa?url=https://thuocladientu123.com
Pretty! This was a really wonderful article. Many thanks for providing this information.
https://r.pikicast.com/s?fr=&t=Pb1w7Fj&m=ot&c=uk&v=crd&url=https://bjsnearme.com/
http://www.promujer.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=ocrvcenter.com
You are so cool! I don't suppose I've read through something like this before. So wonderful to discover another person with a few genuine thoughts on this subject matter. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This website is something that's needed on the internet, someone with a bit of originality!
http://www.faseb.org/pdfviewer?loadthis=https://www.sprintervanrepairnearme.com/
Aw, this was an extremely good post. Taking the time and actual effort to create a superb articleÖ but what can I sayÖ I put things off a lot and don't seem to get nearly anything done.
http://clients3.weblink.com.au/clients/aluminalimited/priceframe1.aspx?link=https://www.ocrvcenter.biz
https://www.local.google.cf/url?q=https://ppcpostfalls.com
Right here is the perfect website for anyone who would like to find out about this topic. You understand a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually will need toÖHaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a topic which has been discussed for ages. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!
http://internethostpilot.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com
I was very happy to uncover this page. I want to to thank you for ones time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every part of it and I have you book marked to see new stuff in your website.
https://www.hellebores.org/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com/
Excellent post. I'm dealing with some of these issues as well..
https://www.daretobeseen.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=affordableranking.com/
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Many thanks, However I am experiencing problems with your RSS. I donít understand the reason why I can't join it. Is there anybody having the same RSS problems? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
http://www.foodprotection.orgwww.foodprotection.org/a/partners/link/?id=98&url=www.affordableranking.com/
https://webhosting-wmd.hr/index?URL=ocrvcenter.com/lonestar-collision-repair-shop-near-me/
http://www.webhosting-wmd.hr/index?URL=www.ocrvcenter.com/horse-trailer-collision-repair-shop-near-me/
https://yp.ocregister.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=http://www.ocrv.xyz/rv-repair-shop-lynwood-california/
https://www.hudsonltd.com/?URL=www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-arleta-california/
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and also the rest of the website is really good.
https://migrantcinema.net.gridhosted.co.uk/?URL=www.ocrv.life/rv-repair-shop-rancho-santa-margarita-california/
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will come back once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
http://slack-redir.net/link?url=ocrv.rocks/good-sam-rv-collision-repair-shop-near-me/
http://register.aib.gov.uk/Subscribe/WidgetSignup?url=ocrv.world/rv-repair-shop-long-beach-california
I'd like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this website. I really hope to view the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own, personal website now 😉
https://publishing.brookes.ac.uk/?URL=http://www.ocrvcenter.com/motorhome-furniture-near-me/
http://www.2ip.ru/lookup/?ip=https://www.ocrv.fun/rv-repair-shop-sunland-tujunga-california
Hi, I do believe your website could be having web browser compatibility issues. When I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it's got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, excellent website!
http://adminer.org/redirect/?url=http://www.ocrvart.com/thor-trailer-collision-repair-paint-shop-near-me-orange-county
https://www.flash.wakunavi.net/rank.cgi?mode=link&id=333&url=https://www.quotenearme.com/
You are so awesome! I don't suppose I have read something like that before. So good to find somebody with some genuine thoughts on this topic. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This website is one thing that's needed on the web, someone with some originality!
https://dsu.regione.marche.it/Logout.aspx?Returnurl=https://bestservicenearme.com/
There is certainly a lot to know about this subject. I like all of the points you've made.
http://www.glorioustronics.com/redirect.php?link=https://www.nearmyspot.com/
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Thank you, However I am experiencing troubles with your RSS. I donít understand why I can't subscribe to it. Is there anybody else getting the same RSS issues? Anyone who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanks!!
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/reauexit.cfm?link=http://www.ocrv.life/rv-repair-shop-rancho-santa-margarita-california/
After looking at a handful of the blog articles on your website, I honestly like your way of writing a blog. I book-marked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my web site too and let me know what you think.
http://bytecheck.com/results?resource=http://ocrvcenter.com/rv-repair-shop-la-mirada-california
https://www.imp.mx/salto.php?va=ocrvcenter.com/rv-step-repair-near-me
Great post! We are linking to this great content on our site. Keep up the great writing.
http://yp.ocregister.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://www.smoner.com/ltrB6dwr/
https://2ip.ru/lookup/?ip=www.ocrvcenter.info/rv-windshield-repair-near-me/
https://cliopatria.swi-prolog.org/browse/list_resource?r=https://ocrvcenter.org/rv-repair-shop-orange-california
The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it won't fail me just as much as this particular one. After all, I know it was my choice to read, however I really believed you'd have something useful to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you weren't too busy searching for attention.
http://eridan.websrvcs.com/System/Login.asp?id=48747&Referer=https://www.ocrvcenter.com/rv-cabinet-repair-near-me/
http://creativecommons.org/choose/results-one?field_attribute_to_url=https://www.ocrv.today/motorhome-restoration-near-me
Howdy! This blog post couldnít be written much better! Looking at this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I am going to forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have a very good read. I appreciate you for sharing!
http://www.ams.ceu.edu/optimal/optimal.php?url=https://www.ocrvcenter.net/rv-repair-shop-murrieta-california/&refresh=1