• Research
  • Politika
  • About
Carnegie Russia Eurasia center logoCarnegie lettermark logo
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Marwan Muasher"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia",
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "United States",
    "Middle East",
    "Syria",
    "Levant"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Security",
    "Military",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Military Strike in Syria Will Not Lead to A Political Process

A military strike in Syria will not result in changing the parameters of the conflict and will not result in President Assad agreeing to a political process.

Link Copied
By Marwan Muasher
Published on Sep 4, 2013

Source: BBC World News

As Washington debates over approving a U.S. military strike in Syria, Carnegie’s Marwan Muasher told BBC World News that the military strike has no clear objectives, will not result in changing the parameters of the conflict, and will not result in President Assad agreeing to a political process. While President Obama and French President François Hollande have argued that a strike would degrade the regime’s ability for a chemical attack, Muasher maintained that it would not do much to the regime itself “which has shown no mercy in killing its own citizens.”

"I think what is needed is a political process rather than more suffering for the Syrian people," he said, highlighting that majority of Arab public opinion is against Assad and against a military strike which they do not see as part of the solution. “We have to find a process other than a military strike, which is not going to involve boots on the ground, which is not going to result in changing the game. We have to find a political process before it is too late,” Muasher concluded.

This interview was originally aired on BBC World News.

About the Author

Marwan Muasher

Vice President for Studies

Marwan Muasher is vice president for studies at Carnegie, where he oversees research in Washington and Beirut on the Middle East. Muasher served as foreign minister (2002–2004) and deputy prime minister (2004–2005) of Jordan, and his career has spanned the areas of diplomacy, development, civil society, and communications.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    The Twilight of Oil in an Age of Uncertainty: From a Vicious to a Virtuous Cycle
      • +1

      Nur Arafeh, Ishac Diwan, Hamza Meddeb, …

  • Commentary
    Israel’s Election Had No Clear Winner. What Comes Next for the Region?
      • +9

      Nathan J. Brown, Alper Coşkun, Amr Hamzawy, …

Marwan Muasher
Vice President for Studies
Marwan Muasher
Political ReformSecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyUnited StatesMiddle EastSyriaLevant

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

  • Research
    Escaping an Escalatory Spiral: Can Europe Avoid a War With Russia?

    Nobody in the Kremlin fancies a fight with the whole European continent. Instead, the Russian leadership would be likely to opt for a short, targeted strike.

      Maksim Samorukov

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    By Waging War on Its Sovereignty, Putin Has United Ukraine

    The war does threaten Putin’s existence. That is why he does not negotiate.

      René Nyberg

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Red Sea Mirage: Why Russia Is Still Waiting on a Military Base in Sudan

    Russia’s coveted Red Sea naval base has fallen victim to its erratic foreign policy.

      Sergey Konyashin

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Deportation of Russian Propagandist Reveals Battle Over Church Influence in the Balkans

    Mikhail Zvinchuk’s detention could have dealt a serious blow to Russia’s propaganda infrastructure in the Balkans. Instead, the incident has made something else eminently clear: Moscow values and protects its propagandists, while Europe still hasn’t figured out what to do with them.

      Ivan Filippov, Ksenia Luchenko

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Could Nuclear Warheads Really Be Deployed to the Baltic States?

    Latvia and Lithuania have been considering whether they could temporarily host NATO nuclear weapons in the event of war or a similar crisis.

      Sergejs Potapkins

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Newsletter
Carnegie Russia Eurasia logo, white
  • Research
  • Politika
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Newsletter
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.