Geneva II

Diplomacy is a cumulative process. Geneva II begins where Geneva I left off. At Geneva I, held on June 20, 2012, the action group for Syria, which included Russia and the United States, agreed on the principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led transition. According to the group communique, the first key step in the transition involved the establishment of "a transitional governing body" with full executive powers, formed on the basis of "mutual consent" involving "members of the present government and the opposition". That is the opening paragraph from Randa Slim opinion piece Geneva II Great Expectations? She is an adjunct research fellow at the New America Foundation and a scholar at the Middle East Institute. To find out what she thinks are the chances of this conference she is online...