‘The Enemy of My Enemy Is Still My Enemy’: Hayden Dismisses Teaming Up with Syria

"Our failure to build up a moderate opposition, a center, created, actually reinforced Assad’s efforts to create the opposition as just a terrorist organization. Now, we are in the position where ISIS is the enemy of both of us. But I think Richard Haass said in the Middle East, 'The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy.' I don’t see cooperation between ourselves and the Syrian government. Look, we tried this once before during the war in Iraq. Damascus was a landing point for al Qaeda fighters heading into Iraq. And we tried to cooperate with the Syrian government to cut down that pipe line. It was a very unsatisfying relationship."