On Tuesday, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) (who’s running for president, by the way), grilled General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military system, and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing about the U.S. military strategy in the Middle East.
Graham wants to send 10,000 troops to train Iraqi and Kurdish forces in order to put “ISIL in a box,” while cooperating with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt to get this job done. In light of these aspirations, Graham told the committee that he sees a “half-assed” strategy, one contingent upon what Carter called “principally a political effort” rather than fighting “with people who want to take a side down,” said Graham.
Graham: Is Russia gonna fight for Assad?
General Dunford: Russia is fighting for Assad.
Graham: Will Iran fight for Assad?
General Dunford: They are going that, sir.
Graham: Will Hezbollah fight for Assad?
General Dunford: They are doing that.
Their tense back-and-forth continued, as Graham sought clarity:
Graham: Is there any credible military threat to Assad now that Russia, Iran and Hezbollah are on his side? Do you see any credible military threat to take him down, General Dunford?
General Dunford: I think the balance of forces right now are in Assad’s advantage.
Graham: Not his advantage. He is secure as the day is long.
On Thursday, President Obama announced the deployment of no more than 60 troops to “advise rebels Washington deems moderate,” reported Reuters.
You can watch the entire hearing here, or the shorter exchange below.
Jonathan Zalman is a writer and teacher based in Brooklyn.