Editorial Board

Trump and the Art of the Syrian Peace Deal

First: Get back to the table. Second: safe zones and a plan for Islamic State.

January 31, 2017 at 1:49 PM UTC

By The Editorial Board

The Editorial Board publishes the views of the editors across a range of national and global affairs.

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Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

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For almost half a decade, the world's only superpower has mostly abdicated its role in helping to resolve the world's most consequential conflict. Now former President Barack Obama's excessive caution about Syria has given way to President Donald Trump's unstrategic uncertainty. The question is whether this qualifies as an improvement.

It's certainly good news that Russia has invited the U.S. to participate in Syrian peace talks next month, along with representatives from Turkey and Iran. But Trump -- who claimed during the campaign to have a "foolproof" plan to quickly defeat Islamic State -- will soon face some tough choices.