It’s comprehensible that any hope of progress is seized upon. But the evidence for a lasting peace is not encouragingWhat will things look like when the bombing stops is a question asked by both policy-makers and the general public shocked by the devastation of Syria. But why assume it will stop any time soon?The ceasefire deal agreed final week was always flimsy and problematic. Its many flaws had been picked over in detail even before President Bashar al-Assad in effect buried it,by giving a scarce interview to announce his determination to retake the entire country. Analysts pointed out that the warring parties were not at the negotiating table, only their backers. There is an inexplicable weeks-long delay in implementation, and above all there is a giant hole at the heart of it which means hostilities will continue. Air strikes on “terrorists” will not stop and there is no monitoring or clear agreement approximately who is and who is not a terrorist.
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Source: theguardian.com