அமெரிக்காவின் ``அலெப்போ நீதி``!

Aleppo rebel zone facing 'death or surrender' - rebel official

World News | Sun Dec 11, 2016 | 11:00am GMT
Aleppo rebel zone facing 'death or surrender' - rebel official

Smoke and flames rise after air strikes on rebel-controlled besieged area of Aleppo, as seen from a government-held side, in Syria December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

Syrian rebels control only a small area of Aleppo that is full of civilians and under very fierce bombardment after pro-government forces took the al-Maadi district, a Turkey-based official with the Jabha Shamiya rebel group said on Sunday.

Rebel groups in Aleppo had received no word about U.S.-Russia talks to resolve the crisis in Aleppo, the official said, warning that it would end "in a tragic way" without outside intervention and that they faced "death or surrender".

(Reporting by Tom Perry; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Russia says no agreement with U.S. on safe exit for Aleppo rebels: RIA
 

Smoke and flames rise after air strikes on rebel-controlled besieged area of Aleppo, as seen from a government-held side, in Syria December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Sunday that Moscow had not reached an agreement with the United States for rebel fighters in Syria's Aleppo to have safe passage out of the city, RIA news agency reported.

Rebel officials told Reuters earlier on Sunday that a proposal had been tabled by the two countries for fighters to leave the city with their families and other civilians.

"What western agencies are reporting does not necessarily correspond with reality," Ryabkov said, adding that Russia was working to create the necessary conditions for the safe extraction of people from Aleppo.

"The issue of withdrawing militants is the subject of separate agreements. This agreement has not yet been reached, largely because the United States insists on unacceptable terms," RIA quoted him as saying.

Ryabkov said there was no discussion about a joint agreement with the United States on Syria which would then be considered by the opposition. The rebel groups in Aleppo said they had yet to respond to the proposal.

Talks between Russian and U.S. experts will continue in Geneva, he said, adding: "There is some progress, but no agreement."

(Reporting by Jack Stubbs; editing by David Clarke)
===================
World News | Sun Dec 11, 2016 | 2:11pm EST

Exclusive: U.S. and Russia propose safe exit for Aleppo rebels - opposition officials

People walk near rubble of damaged buildings, in the rebel-held besieged area of Aleppo, Syria November 19, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail 

The United States and Russia on Sunday tabled a proposal to rebels in Aleppo that would offer safe passage from the city for fighters, their families and other civilians, three opposition officials with Aleppo rebel groups told Reuters.

However, Russia denied that any deal had been reached, saying that reports of the proposal do not "necessarily correspond with reality".

The rebel groups in Aleppo have yet to respond to the proposal, the opposition officials said. The proposal promised rebel fighters a "secure" and "honorable" withdrawal from the city, they said.

If rebels accept the proposal, it would restore Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's full control over rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo, his biggest victory yet in the civil war that has shattered his country.

The Russian-backed Syrian military and its allies have captured swathes of rebel-held eastern Aleppo in a ferocious military campaign, squeezing rebel fighters and tens of thousands of civilians into an ever shrinking enclave.

Russia and the U.S. have been meeting in Geneva to seek a solution to the fighting and the humanitarian crisis it has caused.

Moscow's RIA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying that Russia was working to create the necessary conditions for the safe extraction of people from Aleppo and that the Geneva talks would continue.

"The issue of withdrawing militants is the subject of separate agreements. This agreement has not yet been reached, largely because the United States insists on unacceptable terms," RIA quoted him as saying.

Under the proposal, the Syrian government and its allies would guarantee safe passage for fighters, their family members, and other civilians from the city.

The rebel groups in the city have previously said they would not leave eastern Aleppo, while demanding safe passage for civilians who wish to leave to areas to the north of Aleppo near the border with Turkey.

A draft of the proposal sent to Reuters from two of the rebel officials said the Syrian government and its allies would give a public guarantee that fighters and civilians leaving the city would not be detained or harmed, and guarantee the safety of civilians who wish to remain in the city.
It would require fighters from the jihadist group formerly known as Nusra Front to head to the northwestern province of Idlib. But it would allow fighters from other groups to go to other destinations including areas near the Turkish border to the northeast of Aleppo, which are held by groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army.

Implementation would be carried out over a 48-hour period, and U.N. oversight would be sought. Fighters would be allowed to take their light weapons with them, but must leave heavy weapons behind, the proposal said.

The office of the U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said it had no comment for now on the report.

(Reporting by Tom Perry and Suleiman al-Khalidi; editing by David Clarke and Ros Russell)

Syria and Russia pressed to end Aleppo onslaught

Syria and Russia pressed to end Aleppo onslaught

Meeting in Paris, Western and Arab diplomats call for renewed talks between Assad government and opposition leaders.

Diplomats meeting in Paris for talks on the situation in Syria have called for an immediate end to the violence in Aleppo and renewed talks with opposition leaders, even as air strikes continue to hit civilian areas in the city's east.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, and European foreign ministers as well as their counterparts from Qatar and Saudi Arabia also demanded on Saturday that Syrian government and Russian forces stop their onslaught.

For his part, Kerry said the Syrian government's "indiscriminate bombing" of eastern Aleppo amounts to "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity".

Kerry said "the indiscriminate bombing by the regime violates rules of law, or in many cases, crimes against humanity, and war crimes".

 He urged Russia to show "a little grace" when US and Russian officials meet in Geneva, Switzerland, later on Saturday and pressed for a deal enabling civilians and fighters to leave besieged east Aleppo.

"Russia and Assad have a moment where they are in a dominant position to show a little grace," Kerry said.

"Fighters ... don't trust that if they agreed to leave to try to save Aleppo that it will save Aleppo and they will be unharmed and free to move where they are not immediately attacked."

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, accused the Syrian government of "genocide" and urged the international community to remain focused on finding a political solution to the conflict.

"Military confrontation does not offer a solution; there can only be a political solution," he said.
'With preconditions'

Speaking after the meeting, Jean-Marc Ayrault, France's foreign minister, said the Syrian opposition was willing to resume negotiations with Bashar al-Assad's government "without preconditions".

However, both Syria and Russia have rejected talk of a ceasefire without a withdrawal by fighters from the city, a demand that Syrian opposition groups have refused.

Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Turkey-Syria border, said the meeting offered little reprieve for civilians still trapped in east Aleppo.

"Air strikes from Russian and Syrian jets have been relentless as Syrian forces backed by Iranian militias engage in fierce street battles with rebels," he said.

"Residents have told Al Jazeera that the situation is a 'living nightmare' and while it is very hard to get a civilian death count, since Friday afternoon at least 56 civilians have been killed and several more injured."

Prospects look increasingly grim for the Western-backed opposition forces after five years of civil war, as forces loyal to Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, have captured about 85 percent of Aleppo's east, with fighters and civilians confined to just a few neighbourhoods.

East Aleppo struggles to bury the dead

The UN estimates about 100,000 people are now squeezed into opposition-held parts of Aleppo with virtually no access to food, water or medical care.

After days of intense bombing, Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN, acknowledged this week that diplomacy has "not delivered for the people of Aleppo".

"We have engaged in that exercise in good faith for many many months. But all that has happened in that period is that no food has arrived. No medical evacuations have occurred from eastern Aleppo. And the regime backed by Russia has pulverised schools, hospitals, civilian neighbourhoods," she told the Associated Press news agency.

Aleppo's loss would be the biggest blow for the opposition fighters in the conflict, which has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced half the country's population.

Blocked from leaving

Tens of thousands of civilians have fled east Aleppo in recent weeks, though the UN said on Friday it had received reports that the fighters had blocked some residents from leaving.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says about 2,000 civilians fled east Aleppo on Saturday.

The state news agency SANA says they have been taken to a temporary shelter in Jibrin, about 10km east of Aleppo.

The UN said on Friday it had received reports of fighters blocking some from leaving and of reprisals against residents who asked armed groups to leave.

It has also expressed concern about reports that hundreds of men had gone missing after fleeing to government-held territory.

The Syrian civil war started as a largely peaceful uprising against Assad in March 2011, but quickly developed into a full-scale war.

துக்ளக் சோ மரணம்

வள்ளுவர் கோட்ட கழக ஆர்ப்பாட்ட தேதி மாற்ற அறிவித்தல்-2

 

திருத்தம்:

செல்லாக் காசு மோடியை எதிர்த்த வள்ளுவர் கோட்ட கழக ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் 12-12 2016 இலிருந்து 16-12-2016 இற்கு மாற்றப்பட்டதை அறிவித்தோம்,அது மீண்டும் 19-12-2016 இற்கு மாற்றப்பட்டுள்ளதை இத்தால் அறியத் தருகின்றோம்.

சிரமத்துக்கு மன்னிக்கவும். Enb Tenn Admin

 

 

தமிழகச் சூழலில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள மாறுதல்கள் காரணமாக, மோடி ஆட்சியின் `செல்லாக் காசு` அறிவிப்பை எதிர்த்து  12-12-2016 திங்கள் காலை வள்ளுவர் கோட்டத்தில் நடத்தத் திட்டமிட்டிருந்த கண்டன ஆர்ப்பாட்டம், 19-12 2016 திங்கள் அன்று நிகழவுள்ளதாக கழகம் அறிவித்துள்ளதை அறியத் தருகின்றோம்.

 

Forbes - Sri Lanka's debt crisis is so bad

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

`நல்லிணக்க அரசே, பொதுபல-சிவ சேனைகளை உடனே தடை செய்!

NPC's resolution against Buddhist temples not valid:Lanka govt

Press Trust of India  |  Colombo
December 8, 2016 Last Updated at 18:42 IST

Sri Lankan government today said that a recent resolution adopted by the Northern Provincial Council prohibiting the construction of Buddhist temples in the Tamil-dominated North will have no legal standing.

Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told Parliament that there were no constitutional provisions for provincial councils to introduce such resolutions and that the government would in no way accept such a resolution.   
 
The Northern Provincial Council (NPC) controlled by the Tamil National Alliance has been expressing opposition to erection of Buddhist religious sites by the military in the north since the war with the LTTE ended in 2009. Tamil Hindus dominate the region.

The NPC Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran took exception to the move by publicly raising opposition.

The extreme Buddhist nationalist groups blamed the government of the President Maithripala Sirisena for not safeguarding the Buddhist religious sites in the former conflict zones in its desire to achieve reconciliation with the Tamil minority.

It was only this week that Sirisena said he was to appoint an all religious steering committee to defuse potential religious unrest created by certain extremist elements representing all religions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
======================
Muslim Ministers demand arrest of aggressive monk
December 8, 2016 14:06

Rishard Muslim Ministers today demanded the arrest of a Buddhist monk who had disrespected Islam.

Minister Rishad Bathiudeen told Parliament that a police complaint was filed against the monk.

However he said the monk continues to be part of discussions being held by the Government with no legal action being taken against him.

State Minister M. L. A. M. Hizbullah also questioned what action will be taken against the monk.
He said that a joint letter by Muslim Parliamentarians raising concerns over threats being faced by Muslims in the country was sent to the President and Prime Minister.

He said the Bodu Bala Sena continues to make statements disrespectful to Islam and action must be taken against them.

Hizbullah also warned that Muslim leaders will not be able to control Muslim youth if Islam continues to be disrespected in the country.

Buddha Sasana Affairs and Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that the Government is looking to resolve the recent issues through dialogue.

He said that President Maithripala Sirisena had a discussion with religious leaders this week in an attempt to ensure religious unity.

Rajapakshe said that when an attempt is being made to resolve the issue, representatives of the public must support such attempts.

He accused some Muslim Ministers of attempting to incite more racial hatred instead of attempting to resolve the issue. (Colombo Gazette)
===================

Minister visit Batticaloa to discuss and settle the religious dispute
Thursday, December 8, 2016 - 16:00
 
Sandasen MARASINGHEDisna Mudalige and Ishara Mudugamuwa

Buddha Sasana and Justice Minister
Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapaksa said he would visit Batticaloa to discuss and settle the religious dispute that has been cropped up in the area.

He made this comment in response to a question raised by TNA MP S. Viyalendran during the committee stage of the debate of ‘Budget 2017’ in Parliament today.

The TNA MP asked the Justice Minister why the government was not taking action against Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera of Sri Mangalarama Viharaya in Batticaloa, for his recent abusive remarks against the Tamils and Muslims.

The Minister had replied that he was aware of the incident and that he regretted its occurrence: “It is not that we cannot implement the law strictly against such acts.

But knowing the sensitivity of these issues, we are trying our best to iron out any mistrust between the communities through negotiation,” the Justice Minister said.

“We will come there and I invite you all to be there as well. Do not misunderstand. We are worried as much as you all about these incidents that damage the national unity.

However, we act with restraint to make sure that these problems do not propagate,” he told the TNA MP.

The Minister in his speech also said the four ministers holding portfolios relevant to religion were sitting as a committee to discuss about the recent religious tensions in the country:
“We have been meeting all the religious leaders with the President in the chair and we will come up shortly with a suitable mechanism deal with these issues, ” he said.

 

Ranil-Committed to solve the National Debt crisis within this decade!

The government is committed to solve the National Debt crisis
Thursday, December 8, 2016 - 01:00
 
Amali Mallawaarachchi

The government is committed to solve the National Debt crisis within this decade, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

The Prime Minister was speaking at an awards ceremony to present appointment letters to 124 Assistant Customs Superintendents at the Sri Lanka Customs yesterday.

The 124 Assistant Customs Superintendents were selected from 13,405 applicants who faced an open/limited competitive examination and a structured interview.

“We are dedicated to solve the National Debt Crisis, without letting this issue be carried into the next generation. We should not let our children be burdened with an unresolved National Debt. If a country is unable to pay its debts, that indicates the country is at a crisis. Sri Lanka unfortunately fell into this crisis since for a decade our expenditure outgrew our national income,” the Prime Minister said.

“Taxes were not properly collected. The whole country was at a tax-cessation. Some companies are cherishing a 30 years tax-holiday. They have not paid a penny as taxes. Thus it is
not a wonder.Even a post-war economy, was not able to pay its National Debt,at least its recurrent expenditure. This debt crisis is what triggered the 2015 Presidential Election.

The fear was that the debt crisis would keep growing and the plan was to increase taxes following the election,” the Premier revealed.
“However, President Maithripala Sirisena’s government is focused on not allowing this National Debt Crisis to burden the next generation. We are planing to increase the economic growth rate and the GDP growth rate up to 7%, for which increase of taxation is important. This process will ultimately end the National Debt Crisis. As the budget for 2017 is brought forth, we have now achieved a condition where we are able to recoup our expenditure except capital expenditure. Our next target is to be able to settle our National Debt.The budget deficit for the year 2015 reached 6.5 percent of the GDP. Our aim is to make it 3.5 percent by 2020. The battle is to increase our national income in which the Customs is at
the fore front,” the PM pointed out.

“For swift economic development, direct foreign investments are the key. We have started it with investment projects in Hambantota, Kalutara and Trincomalee. If more investments are to be attracted, we need to prove our economic stability and our tax reliefs and other facilities, we provide for the investors. We should create a conducive environment, especially at the airports and the ports, to ease the import export process,” the Premier pointed out.

காமராஜர்,எம்.ஜி.ஆர்,ஜெயலலிதா மீண்டும் எழுதப்படும் வரலாறு!

எழுபது ஆண்டுகள் ஓயாத அழுகுரல்!

 

காமராஜர்

https://youtu.be/5SSFE0_N3XA

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5SSFE0_N3XA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

எம்.ஜிஆர்

https://youtu.be/6Urbf7LmEYI

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Urbf7LmEYI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ஜெயலலிதா

https://youtu.be/0owIFUGeu-c

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0owIFUGeu-c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 
* அம்மு ஜெயலலிதா, அம்மாவாகினார்!
 
* ஜெயாவின் முதல் அரசியல் பணி எம்ஜி ஆர்  ஆட்சியின்  `சத்துணவுத் திட்டமாகும்`
 
* இந்த சத்துணவுத் திட்டம் காமாரஜரிடமிருந்து எம்.ஜி.ஆர்.கடன் வாங்கியது ஆகும்.
 
*  எம் .ஜி.ஆர் திட்டத்தின் தொடர்ச்சியும் அபிவிருத்தியுமே அம்மா திட்டமாகும்.

ஆக மொத்தம் இது 70 ஆண்டுகள்!

துண்டுப்பிரசுரத்தின் கேள்வி;

70 ஆண்டுகள் ஒரு பெரும் சமூகத்திரளை உற்பத்தி வாழ்வில் இணைய வல்லமையற்றவர்கள் ஆக்கி இலவசத்தில் வாழ வைத்த தமிழகத்தின் பொருளாதாரக் காரணிகள் என்ன?

 

Italian referendum defeat 'threatens survival of the euro,'

Matteo Renzi's Italian referendum defeat 'threatens survival of the euro,' warn German business leaders

By Barney Henderson  ;

The euro's survival is under increased threat following the political instability caused by the Italian referendum result, German business bosses warned yesterday, raising further questions about the long-term viability of Italy’s membership of the currency union.

Ulrich Grillo, the head of the Federation of German Industries, or BDI, said the crushing defeat handed to the Italy’s centrist prime minister, Matteo Renzi, had worsened the outlook for the survival of the single currency.

"The risks of a new political instability for economic development, the financial markets and the currency union are increasing further,” he said.

Stock and bond markets shrugged off the immediate risk from the Italian vote, but a leading independent analyst warned that Italy’s membership of the euro on “borrowed time” following Mr Renzi’s defeat at the hands of anti-establishment political forces.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), a leading economics consultancy, said that following the vote it now estimated the chances of Italy staying in the Euro for the next five years had fallen below 30 per cent.

The CEBR said that bitter three-month campaign had demonstrated that Italian voters would not tolerate indefinitely the chronic unemployment, stagnant wages and Brussels-imposed austerity that now came with euro membership.

“There is no doubt that Italy could stay in the euro if it were prepared to pay the price of virtually zero growth and depressed consumer spending for another 5 years or so,” the group said in a note.
“But that is asking a lot of an increasingly impatient electorate. We think the chances of their sustaining this policy are below 30 per cent.”

European leaders did their best to put a brave face on the loss of a prime minister who had embraced European economic reforms, but whose back-me-or-sack-me call over the referendum was rejected by an emphatic 59% to 41% margin.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said she was saddened by Mr Renzi’s defeat, having supported his reforms, but said that Europe would continue on its current course, regardless. "From my point of view, we will continue our work in Europe and we have set the right priorities,” she said.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister, gave a franker assessment, conceding that the rejection of Mr Renzi was “not a positive development in the case of the general crisis in Europe”.

Manfred Weber, the leader of the main conservative group in the European Parliament, said that success of populist forces such as Italy’s Five Star Movement and anti-immigrant Northern League heralded a new phase of instability in Europe.

“It is also a setback for those who want readiness for reform, those who want European countries to change. That is the only way we can deal with globalization,” he said.

Stock and currency markets gave a muted response to Mr Renzi’s defeat which had been widely expected and priced into the market, with main losses confined to shares in Italy’s heavily indebted banking sector. The euro recovered early losses against the dollar.

Meanwhile, in Milan bankers held emergency meetings to discuss whether there was sufficient market confidence to proceed with plans to launch a €5bn recapitalization of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the world’s oldest lender.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister and head of the 19-member Eurozone, moved to calm concerns, saying that political limbo left by Mr Renzi’s defeat did not require any immediate intervention from Brussels or Frankfurt.

"It doesn't really change the situation economically in Italy or in the Italian banks,” he said in Brussels ahead of a meeting to discuss the on-going Greek bailout programme, “It doesn't seem to require any emergency steps.”

Downing St has said Britain will "work closely" with the new administration in Italy which emerges after the resignation of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in the wake of his referendum defeat,  according to the Press Association.

The 41-year-old Italian PM threw the EU into fresh turmoil by announcing his departure following the decisive 59%-41% rejection of his plans for constitutional reform.

His resignation sparked a slump in the euro, which fell sharply against the US dollar and hit a four-and-a-half-month low against sterling, reaching a 1.20 exchange rate for the first time since July.

Number 10 stressed that the outcome of the referendum on proposed constitutional changes was "a decision for the Italian people".

Theresa May's official spokeswoman said that the Prime Minister would seek to speak with Mr Renzi - who remains in office until his successor is appointed - over the coming days.

Rome was one of the stops on Mrs May's whirlwind tour of EU capitals in the days after she took office in July, when she was given a red-carpet welcome by Mr Renzi for talks over lunch.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella issued a statement today lauding the referendum's high turnout as "testimony of a solid democracy and a passionate country capable of active participation."
"Before us there are commitments and deadlines which Italy's institutions will have to respect in order to provide an adequate response to the problems of the moment," he added.

Italian media outlets were reporting that outgoing prime minister Matteo Renzi will hold a cabinet meeting of his ministers this evening, possibly to be followed by a formal announcement.

"Renzi is strongly disliked," Antonio Noto, head of IPR Marketing polling institute, told AFP, adding that votes against the PM were "votes against the establishment, but also against his style".

Cecila Carrara, a lawyer in an international firm, said Renzi's "record is disastrous, he has mainly focused on getting good publicity".

The former mayor of Florence also came under fire for failing to get Europe to share the burden of the migrant crisis. Butcher Antonio Canestri told AFP that when it came down to it, "Europe wasn't listening to Renzi".

"Those who voted 'No' were impoverished middle-class families, hit by the economic crisis, without hope of prosperity or well-being for children or grandchildren... (and) the unemployed young," editorialist Maurizio Molinari wrote in La Stampa daily.

Fabrizio Sabelli, professor at the University of Geneva, said "the constitution is not the fundamental problem. It's the improvement of living conditions of so many people who suffer, and this jolt will undoubtedly do us good".

In the areas with the highest jobless rate the "No" camp won with 65.8 percent, while the impoverished south also largely voted "No".

Source Telegraph

Assad is on the verge of taking Aleppo

The Opinion Pages | Op-Ed Contributor
How the War Ends in Syria

Syrian government soldiers in Aleppo on Saturday. Credit Hassan Ammar/Associated Press 

By PETER W. GALBRAITHDEC. 6, 2016

TOWNSHEND, Vt. — The civil war in Syria is over. Now it is time to stop the fighting.
Aided by Russia, Iran, Shiite militias and Hezbollah, the government of President Bashar al-Assad is on the verge of taking Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city. Supported by its powerful allies, the Syrian Army will then move to eliminate the remaining pockets of resistance, notably around the northern city of Idlib. While Iran has been Mr. Assad’s most important military ally, the Syrian regime would still want to have Russian airpower to finish its reconquest of the country’s populous west.
The Assad regime has prevailed through tactics of unspeakable brutality — barrel bombs, starvation, the targeting of hospitals and rescue workers and the suspected use of chemical weapons — but it has prevailed. Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, has rightly focused attention on these war crimes, but these denunciations will make no difference to the situation on the ground.

There is an absolutely counterproductive idea favored by Washington’s foreign policy elites of both parties, recycled recently by President Bill Clinton’s secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright and Stephen J. Hadley, national security adviser to President George W. Bush, for providing additional military support to the moderate Syrian opposition. Such aid cannot possibly now change the trajectory of the war, but will certainly get more people killed.

Though the outcome is clear, how the war ends matters greatly. The United States has an interest in a result that allows as many Syrians as possible to go home, that ensures the total defeat of the Islamic State and other extremist groups, and that safeguards the Syrian Kurds, who have been America’s principal ally against the Islamic State.

Achieving these goals will require close collaboration with Russia, whose intervention enabled Mr. Assad to turn the tide of the war. Fortunately, Russia shares many of America’s objectives, even if its Syrian ally does not.

The United States and Russia could start by negotiating terms that would end the fighting between the regime and the moderate opposition. The terms might include an amnesty for the rebels, the right of Syrian refugees to return and equal access to reconstruction assistance. It could even include some promises of basic political freedoms, international monitoring and the removal of Syrian officials (not including Mr. Assad) responsible for the worst crimes.
  
The Russians have considerable leverage with a Syrian government that wants Russian backing for mopping-up operations. The United States, with less leverage, will have to persuade the non-Islamist opposition that a negotiated surrender is better than total destruction.

European countries have a strong interest in creating conditions to encourage refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to return to Syria rather than heading west. America should work to ensure the diplomatic engagement of European allies to bring an end to hostilities, as well as their financial support for reconstruction in Syria.

In eastern Syria, Kurdish forces supported by the United States Air Force and special forces are battling the Islamic State in a largely separate conflict. On a recent trip to the Kurdish areas, I traveled to within 15 miles of Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State. Kurdish fighters feel confident that they can take the city, but their leaders understand that they’re not in a position to govern a large Arab city. Since there is no viable Arab alternative to the Syrian government, this will mean transferring control of Raqqa to the regime in Damascus.

Finally, the United States must provide long-term guarantees to the Syrian Kurds, who now control a large territory, not all of which is Kurdish. For now, the Syrian Army is in no position to take on the Kurdish forces, but eventually, Mr. Assad will surely try to recreate the centralized Arab state he inherited from his father. He will also want to use Syria’s oil resources — much of which are now under Kurdish control — to finance reconstruction.

One option is to establish an American-protected Kurdish safe area in northeastern Syria similar to the one created in northern Iraq after the first gulf war. That expensive option is complicated by the inability of the United States to use Turkish air bases to enforce it. (Turkey regards the Kurds as its leading enemy in Syria.) The less costly alternative is to co-sponsor a Russian plan for an autonomous Kurdish area within a federal Syria.

However, Russia’s leverage with Mr. Assad will diminish as the opposition crumbles in Syria’s west and Russian airpower becomes less important. At that point, the opportunity to extract concessions will disappear, and the field will belong to Mr. Assad and Iran.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has stated his intention to work with Russia and Mr. Assad to defeat the Islamic State. The sooner America reaches out to Russia, ideally before January’s handover of administration, the better.

Peter W. Galbraith is a former United States ambassador to Croatia.

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