Syrian Pressident Bashar al-Assad
Another defeat for the US
neo-conservative strategy: Syrian President Bashar el-Assad was the real guest
of honor in the Mediterranean summit initiated by French President Nicolas
Sarkozy. Though Syria is still
on Washington’s list of rogue states, it has
become a rising power in the Middle East and a
key factor in any further global diplomatic initiative for the region. For
once, Ehud Olmert understands something and is even ready to defy the US embargo on Syria and to open secret
negotiations with Assad’s regime.
In a long interview with French television, the Syrian president very
clearly expressed his readiness to normalize relations with Israel and did not get angry when he was put on
the bench of the accused, as if Syria
was the problem and not, amongst other things, Israel’s 41 years of occupation of
the Syrian Golan.
Initially, I interpreted the defensive attitude of Assad in that
interview as a position of weakness, a surrender to the aggressive tone of the
French journalist. Soon, however, I understood that the Syrian leader was
speaking from a position of strength: the warm welcome of Nicolas Sarkozy simply
confirmed that Europe has decided to recognize the new leading role of Syria in
West Asia and that, sooner or later, Washington will follow.
Syria is the key
for any stabilization in Lebanon;
Syria can isolate Iran; Syria
can substantially weaken the Islamist organizations, like Hezbollah, in closing
the border with Lebanon
and cutting arm supplies. In short, Syria
can change the overall relation of forces in the Middle
East and contribute to a substantial strengthening of Western
positions in that area. However, all of this is conditional on Washington ending its
anti-Syrian attitude. A close reading of the Baker-Hamilton report confirms
that this will indeed be the policy of the next American administration, no
matter who will wins the race for the US presidency.
In the meantime, the small US
neo-conservative gang still in office in the White House will continue to
relate to Syria as an enemy,
providing additional time to Iran,
the Hezbollah and other forces of resistance to the Empire to prepare
themselves for the coming US
offensive. Such an offensive may well occur in the next few months: in an
article published few days ago in New York Times, Israeli neo-conservative
analyst Benny Morris is openly calling for a preemptive strike against Iran in
the next 10 months. No doubt, Morris was not writing from his own brain only,
but reflected the opinion of the US and Israeli war-mongers'
faction.
Bush and Olmert are on their way out, the first to the garbage can of
history as one of the worst US
President ever, the second to jail, as one of the most corrupted politician in
the history of Israel.
Both are interested in remaining in the collective memory of their respective
people as something else than a joke or a crook. War could be the way to do it.
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