ICYMI: Recent pieces on Syria and Iran by American Enterprise Institute (AEI) scholars, Danielle Pletka, John Bolton, and Paul Wolfowitz:

“Iran's relationship with terrorist groups . . . . is operational, financial, political and military.  Iranian government officials have been known to direct, manage and support attacks throughout the world.” . . . .“The time has come to undercut Iran at its own political game, all the while holding Tehran responsible for the terrorism it sponsors. If Hezbollah wants to continue as Iran's proxy, then aid to Lebanon needs to be reconsidered. If some among the Palestinians wish to continue to play footsie with Iran, then we, and the Arabs, and the Europeans need to ensure that Iran is their only donor.”  Danielle Pletka, AEI Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies (contact: dpletka@aei.org or through Alex Della Rocchetta at adr@aei.org or 202.862.7152) in her testimony on Iran’s Support for Terrorism in the Middle East to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

“Washington must stop subcontracting Syria policy to the Turks, Saudis and Qataris. They are clearly part of the anti-Assad effort, but the United States cannot tolerate Syria becoming a proxy state for yet another regional power. . . . We have an interest in helping to lead Syria toward a stable future, not beholden to any nation.”  Pletka in a recent Washington Post piece, The U.S. Must Help Syria
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“We must not permit terrorists like Al Qaeda or Hezbollah in next-door Lebanon, rogue states or a radical Syrian successor regime to acquire [Syria’s chemical, biological and nuclear] capabilities. The time available is short, and the risks we face in attempting to secure or destroy Syria’s WMD are high.”  Former UN ambassador John Bolton is an AEI Senior Fellow (radio and print only – contact: christine.samuelian@aei.org) in America and its allies must prepare to secure Syria's weapons of mass destruction
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From former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, now a Visiting Scholar at AEI (contact: julissa.milligan@aei.org or 202.862.5905):

“US policy seems fixated on the idea that a negotiated transition to a Syria without Assad can avoid the dangers that could accompany an opposition victory. But there is little sign the Russians intend to force such an outcome and less reason to think the regime in Damascus would accept it. But hardest of all is to understand how the opposition could accept any “transition” that left some power in the hands of Assad’s cronies.” Wolfowitz in Our dithering has played into Assad’s hands

“What the Syrian opposition needs most is support for training, equipping and organizing the Free Syrian Army. By providing that support, the U.S. might also be able to persuade the opposition to provide assurances about a post-Assad Syria that would encourage fence-sitters – including probably many in the Syrian Army, as well as members of the Alawite and Christian minorities – to abandon the regime. That will require working with neighboring countries like Turkey, but it doesn’t need Russian or Chinese approval.” Wolfowitz in Clinton’s legacy: Libya or Syria?

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