Ending Rebel Training Signals Obama's Search for Syria Options
- Scaled-back program may prompt renewed push for negotiations
- White House sends message to Russia, U.S. allies in region
President Barack Obama walks to Air Force One at San Francisco International Airport on Oct. 10, 2015, in San Francisco.
Photographer: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
President Barack Obama’s decision to shelve a controversial plan to train Syrian rebels is the latest sign that the White House is searching -- often fruitlessly -- for options to scale back its involvement in a deadly and seemingly intractable conflict.
It also sends a message to Russia, Iran and U.S. allies in the region that the administration is making a renewed pitch to negotiate a political settlement for Syrian governance as the crisis there worsens, according to European and U.S. officials familiar with discussions.