If Joe Biden wins the presidency in the November elections, he will inherit the responsibility for reforming the United States' approach to Syria, which has been a dismal failure since the administration of former President Barack Obama.
Josh Rogin stated that the Biden campaign promises to increase US involvement in Syria and to increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to secure some dignity, safety and justice for the Syrian people.
And he commented that this promise is the same that has not been fulfilled and that the Syrians have been hearing from the United States 10 years ago.
He noted that Biden's public comments on Syria were rare, and in initial debates he said that if he was elected he would preserve the small presence of US forces in Syria.
This week he criticized Trump for failing to respond to the Russian forces attacking US forces in northern Syria.
Rogin quoted Biden campaign officials that if his administration wins, it will re-engage in the Syria issue diplomatically, increase pressure on Assad, and prevent the United States from supporting the reconstruction of Syria, until Assad agrees to stop his atrocities and share power.
Some Obama administration officials, who are now working with Biden, see this as their chance to fulfill a promise that has not been kept.
Biden's foreign policy adviser and former deputy secretary of state, Tony Blinken, said, "We have failed to prevent the tragic loss of life as well as the millions of people who have become refugees or internally displaced, and that is something we all have to live with."
The Biden administration, if it wins, will re-engage in the Syria issue diplomatically, increase pressure on Assad, and prevent the United States from supporting the reconstruction of Syria until Assad agrees to stop his atrocities and share power, officials in the Biden campaign.
"This is one of the things that we are looking at seriously, and after that, if we are held accountable, this is something we will have to work on," he added.
The writer pointed to some mistakes committed by the Obama administration, including the decision to announce a red line that he did not implement, and the confidence in Moscow to ensure the removal of Assad's chemical weapons and to arm the Syrian opposition enough to slowly lose the war.
He noted that some Syrian Americans are skeptical of Biden's promises and are alarmed when they learn that former Obama administration official in Syria Stephen Simon, who has argued vigorously against the growing pressure on Assad, is a member of Biden's campaign Middle East advisory team.
But campaign officials say he is one of more than 100 team members and that his views do not reflect those of the campaign or Biden.
The writer referred to what Kanan Rahmani, chief policy advisor at Americans for Free Syria, said, is that to assuage concerns, Biden's foreign policy staff must publish a detailed plan for how his administration will end this horrific war that has entered its tenth year and help protect Syrian civilians.
"As Syrian Americans, we want to know where Joe Biden stands in Syria," Rahmani said. "Any campaign that wants to restore American leadership in the world must be equipped with people who believe in democracy and human rights."
Rogin concluded his article that there are no easy answers in Syria, but letting Assad escape by his actions will not bring peace, and Biden's promise to use the American leadership and its influence to impose better results there is the right thing to do and the only hope for the Syrian people.