Syrian Subterfuge

“The argument for keeping Imad Mustafa in Washington, that we needed someone to send tough messages to, was never convincing,” says Tony Badran, research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “This is all the more so now after the attack on one of our diplomats in Syria; and with France reportedly considering severing diplomatic ties with Syria over the brutality of the Assad regime. Now there’s the regime's concerted effort to use diplomatic missions to suppress the voice of dissidents abroad, whether it’s in Europe, Lebanon, Turkey, or, as we've learned from the Jandali episode, even here in the U.S. By sending Mustafa home, the White House would be taking a public stand against the Assad regime’s thuggery.”