Is political transition a reality in Syria?
Talk of a political solution in war-torn Syria has resurfaced at the same time as the US missile strikes.
US President Donald Trump has been both congratulated and condemned for ordering missile strikes on a Syrian airbase suspected of using chemical weapons.
The attack was seen by some as a warning to the regime of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad that the period of impunity is over and he will be punished.
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But the past six years have shown that military action has failed to stop the mass killings and end the war.
France and Germany have renewed calls for a political solution. But what kind of roadmap will be accepted by the main players in the conflict?
Last year the opposition rejected a United Nations proposal that had Assad remaining in the political system.
Last month negotiators at a fifth round of peace talks brokered by the UN in Geneva called for a political transition, a new constitution and elections within 18 months.
But can a compromise be reached? And what is the realistic way to proceed?
Presenter: Laura Kyle
Guests:
Hadi al-Bahra – member of the Syrian opposition, former president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces
Rami Khouri – senior fellow and professor at the American University of Beirut
Alexey Khlebnikov – Middle East expert at the Russian International Affairs Council