Below is a well-written article from Al-Jazeera English on Syria's strategic political maneuvering as it has shifted and changed its alliances and the balance of power in the region over the years.
Worth the read
The original article can be found here.
Excerpts:
Syrian foreign policy has been based on two pivotal principles: first, that there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends; and second, that every situation can and will be used as leverage that will serve national interests and ensure the survivability of the regime.Immediately after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, Washington considered implementing regime change in Damascus as part of the Bush administration's policy of pre-emption.
Damascus observed with alarm as US officials alleged that Iraq's "nuclear material" was hidden on Syrian territory and the rhetoric against Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, became more venomous.
Realising that its survival was at stake, Syria - in tandem with Iran - supported the insurgency in Iraq despite US sabre-rattling.
1 comments:
Very interesting. Syria is such a "wild card" in all of this. The Baathist certainly aren't "good guys" in the strictest sense of the word. They are dictators and thugs for sure. Yet, we have to deal with who is there, which the U.S. has always been criticized for regarding South America.
I still can't get over how quiet Syria was when Israel bombed their nuclear reactor which was under construction. I guess their pants were down. That is the only explanation.
I think it is good to start a dialogue. This interview certainly gives me some hope that there are balanced and highly informed people working on the problem.
"Can't we all just get along?"
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