The time has come to ask: how has accusing and isolating Syria benefited U.S. interests in the region?
The time has come to ask: how has accusing and isolating Syria benefited U.S. interests in the region? Since the United States broke off meaningful relations with Syria at the end of 2003 and demanded that Syria withdraw its troops and influence from Lebanon, it has not based its behavior on reason. Indeed, President George W. Bush should confess that he has no coherent Middle East policy. "Dealing" with Damascus, a key player in the region, has consisted of attempts at coercion and a list of allegations-based demands as conditions for resuming direct contacts with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Lebanon continues to suffer with casualties mounting on both the Arab and Israeli sides, and as the world wrings its collective hands, the United States appears paralyzed by its own illogical rhetoric.
The unreasonable behavior started with the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 (publicly opposed by Syria). At the time, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused Syria of supplying Iraqi fighters with night-vision goggles. An accuse-and-deny game played between the U.S. and Syria ensued. As Iraq became more unstable, US officials sought to blame outside forces, like Syria. Similarly, when Rafik Hariri was assassinated in Lebanon on February 14, 2005, Washington immediately accused Damascus of culpability. Soon after, Syria announced in May 2005 that it would halt intelligence cooperation with the U.S. At this low point, there exists limited diplomatic contact between the two states. The U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Margaret Scobey, has remained in Washington, ever since being recalled following the Hariri killing.
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