US POLICY TOWARD SYRIA Host Carol Castiel talks with former US Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford about his split with the Obama administration over US policy toward Syria. Ambassador Ford argues that unless and until the United States and other friends of Syria address one of the root causes of the conflict in Syria – Bashar al Assad and his brutal attacks on the armed and unarmed opposition—no amount of air strikes against the so-called Islamic State or ISIL will be effective.