Syria - Obama Presidency Oral History Back Syria Index / Locations Transcripts John Kerry ... You mentioned both Afghanistan and Syria . I thought maybe we could dive in... ...to hold as a policy. You mentioned Syria as well. I did want to ask about it... ...of engagement you were involved in with Syria in 2009? First of all, I do believ... ...diplomatic malpractice. In the case of Syria , in particular, did you have an... ...in the Oval Office was, “I can't do the Syria thing. Can't do that, can't do that... ...trying to find a political solution to Syria , Putin said, “Let me tell yo... ...[Issa al-Ayyat] and the revolution, and Syria and the war and ISIS [Islamic State o... ...war and ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ]. There were a lot of cyber challenge... ...already defined about how you deal with Syria . Marty [Martin E.] Dempsey, th... ...our second session we could dive into Syria and Iran. But that traditiona... ...time. Lavrov chaired the International Syria Support Group with me—and we can ge... ...that ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ], ISIL—a name I don't like to cal... ...religious military way across through Syria , down in towards Iraq. Kurds wer... ...there was enough still around Raqqa [ Syria ] and parts of Syria, et cetera, t... ...still around Raqqa [Syria] and parts of Syria , et cetera, to finish the job, whic... Show more... Denis McDonough ...is our discussion, a long walk, on Syria in September 2013. The difference ther... ...the very early days of this uprising in Syria , Libya, Tunisia. So the question a... ...that you can't really understand Syria if you don't understand that particula... ...decision about the use of force in Syria ? The start of these things, it'... ...about that. Then you fast-forward to Syria . He sits in the Cabinet Room, an... ...not do it now? You did it on Libya and Syria ; why are you not doing it now?” ... ...profound debate we had on that is with Syria . But we won't go to Syria yet, o... ...that is with Syria. But we won't go to Syria yet, or maybe ever. That's your call. ... ...got to hurry. I do want to talk about Syria . We referred to it in the las... ...both. What it was not, except in that Syria case, was decisional. But it wa... ...comes out of it. What made that Syria conversation so—I don't want to sa... Show more... Hillary Clinton ...without preconditions—so Iran, Syria , Venezuela, Cuba. I just wonder, i... ...moved in in a very aggressive way into Syria , but also other parts of the Middl... ...there was some—and what was going on in Syria , which was very dangerous on Israel'... ...Iran with their acolytes in Syria and Lebanon, and in Gaza, was just ... ...country I wanted to ask about is Syria , and the extent to which some of th... ...for how to address the civil war in Syria and [Bashar al-] Assad's crackdown? ... ...The president wanted nothing to do with Syria . The situation in Syria has been jus... ...to do with Syria. The situation in Syria has been just a terribl... ...only the terrible destruction within Syria , but the millions of Syrians who hav... ...Iran has gained by its turning Syria even more into a satellite state. Th... Show more... Antony Blinken ...of state, but we had Ukraine. We had Syria . We had the Iran negotiations, all o... ...or ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ]; helping the Afghans make a peacefu... ...Arab Spring, which is the civil war in Syria . Yes. I wonder if you can tell me ... ...events? So confronting the problem in Syria , how do Egypt and Libya factor in? ... ...than Iraq, colored his thinking about Syria ; and the concern that we would b... ...concern that we would be potentially in Syria biting off more than we can chew—or, a... ...line is, for me at least, I look at Syria and the experience of having bee... ...proximate in experience than Iraq. So Syria remains an issue, as does Libya; bu... ...remains an issue, as does Libya; but Syria , especially, through your time in th... ...policy side of things, I think the Syria debate was certainly one such moment... Show more... Rick Jordan ...went through Ellis Island from Syria . She's Syrian. So, anything to do wit... ...when there was the attack on Ghouta [ Syria ], I was super focused on that. An... ...is that I know the timeline of the Syria red line and the eventual agreement o... ...had chemical weapons. And they knew Syria had a whole lot of chemical weapons... ...effort, decides just to dump it on Syria , Israel, or on his own people, we'v... ...knew it was really going to be Syria . But there wasn't a designated plac... ...place it was going to go. But Syria was where they knew where everythin... ...Well, then Ghouta happened, from Syria . And when he saw the news, it wa... ...try—one, they wanted to do the job in Syria . But the Obama administration, the... ...they didn't want any Americans in Syria . So then they started looking fo... ...you cannot have chemical weapons. And Syria was not a signatory of it. So, th... ...it. So, the Russians said, “We'll get Syria to sign.” And everyone's surprised tha... ...that stuff in your country. And so, Syria said, “Well, we're having this civi... ...so around the middle of October, after Syria had signed the thing, and then Albani... ...mission was. You knew it had to do with Syria . You knew it had to do with chemica... ...of training. My grandmother came from Syria , so there was an emotional part there... ...get to Rota—the pressure was to put on Syria . And they did not want Syria to b... ...to put on Syria. And they did not want Syria to be able to say, “Wow, you don't eve... ...Rota until—they said thirty days until Syria got—Syria was supposed to hav... ...said thirty days until Syria got— Syria was supposed to have everything out th... ...for the chemical weapons to come out of Syria . It was clear—the way the treaty wa... ...way the treaty was signed with Syria was that none of the weapons could b... ...Obama didn't want Americans in Syria . So, the countries of Denmark an... ...of ships. And they just hung off of Syria . And everything—because Syria jus... ...off of Syria. And everything—because Syria just brought the stuff out piecemeal... ...finally, the last parcel came out of Syria . And Ark Futura, the Danish ship... ...that again, because my family's from Syria . And when you see how eighty peopl... ...all the stuff was coming out of Syria . So, [snaps] we set sail. We me... ...thirty days, and things were moving in Syria . Things were happening, whatever. An... ...box. But one of the silver linings of Syria not getting the stuff out was, we wen... ...would be like, “Oh, that shit came from Syria .” And so, that went back and forth... ...was another chemical attack in Syria , killed a bunch of people, as yo... ...investigation of these attacks.” And Syria had to sign off on it too, because the... ...too, because they had to investigate in Syria . Who was at blame? The way they wer... ...thinking about what to do with Syria , right, so much of the attention is o... Show more... Wendy Sherman ...intervention. There's the question of Syria , which was looming that fall, bu... ...very much engaged the president, but— Syria and Iran being at the top of that list... ...about—which was very critical to Syria decisions—what was his legal authorit... ...decision. You mentioned that Iran and Syria were at the top of your portfolio. Yo... ...about Iran, but because you mentioned Syria as well, what was the determinant i... ...it I had to figure out how to juggle. Syria , obviously, continued to march int... ...can't tell you the number of Syria meetings we had while I wa... ...picked up on, and rushed to try to do a Syria chemical weapons agreement for al... ...decision not to launch strikes against Syria and instead to go to the Congres... ...didn't talk about Iran. We talked about Syria . Which he was—I left a year before th... ...ultimately, he decided his policy in Syria was less about [Bashar al-] Assad, an... ...But how to take further action in Syria , under what legal premise—and I'm no... ...Middle East. We were in the middle of Syria still, and Susan was reluctant. And ... ...talked about with regard to Iran and Syria relationships or policy issues, o... ...departures. We closed our embassy in Syria , in Libya. We took people out of Sout... Show more... Leon Panetta ...what happened in Libya, what happens in Syria eventually—and I testify to thi... ...was going on? Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria , Bahrain, it spreads relativel... ...stabilizing Libya and Yemen and Syria and Bahrain and these othe... ...and look at Libya the same way, look at Syria in the same way, requires that you nee... ...I think we paid a price for that. Syria is probably at the top of the list fo... ...they did in Ukraine, what they did in Syria , and what they did on the electio... ...haven't really delved into Libya or Syria , but whether some of the things tha... Show more... Load more Transcripts Related Topics go to the LGBTQ Policy LGBTQ Policy go to the Education Education go to the Obama in the Senate Obama in the Senate go to the Chicago Chicago go to the Atlantic Relations Atlantic Relations