Context
The United States is convinced Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s days in power are numbered. According to The New York Times, the US believes the collapse of the regime to be near and fears civil war will engulf the country. These worries have steered US to work closely with Turkey; President Obama is expected to discuss the issue with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the two meet for United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. According to Vali Nasr, a former Obama administration official, the threat of external players such as Iran, Iraq and Hezbollah interfering in the region is extremely high.
The US government has also decided not to recall US Ambassador Robert S. Ford from Damascus in order to maintain communication with opposition leaders
