An Ambassador to Syria and a Message to Iran

The National, Editorial
June 30, 2009
"By offering stronger ties, and in returning an ambassador to Damascus, Washington is showing Syria—and Iran—that there is another way to go."

For the first time since the Bush administration recalled the U.S. ambassador from Damascus in 2005 … the United States will have a fully staffed embassy in Damascus. … To a certain extent, the decision is a leap of faith. Syria remains an important patron of both Hezbollah and Hamas, which have been dangerous sources of instability in the region. …

With more direct diplomatic channels to the United States, Syria can have a greater say in the Middle East process, to which the Obama administration has demonstrated an intense commitment. The United States wants to show that the benefits of partnership in this process are far greater than the benefits Syria would accrue in acting as a spoiler, or allowing others to do so. And while the American economy may be struggling, nations shun access to U.S. markets, aid and investment at their own people’s expense. Access the full article>>



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Original Commentaries

03/18/10
Mubarak’s Hospitalization Raises Questions  —
03/16/10
Maintaining the Unbreakable Bond  —Robert Wexler, former Congressman; president, S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Interview with Middle East Progress.
03/11/10
First Reactions  —

Setting the Record Straight

U.S. and Israel Have Shared Interests

“I think it's a big deal. This is a fight that the White House has picked. … I think it surprised Netanyahu. Netanyahu apologized to Vice President Biden … And he expressed regret. … And they thought the thing had been put to bed … And then for some reason … the White House at the highest levels—the president decided let's make a big fuss about this … I do not know, honestly, why the president chose to pick a big public fight just when it was all dying down with Israel.”
—William Kristol, editor, Weekly Standard, Fox News Sunday, March 14, 2010versus
  • “[T]he president, the vice president, secretary of State did exactly the right thing for American interests and for Israel ... [F]irst of all, they were speaking for many secretaries of State, many presidents in the past who have had Israeli settlements shoved in their face before, during, and after a visit by Israel. ... So there's a lot of backstory here, this isn't just about that trip.“Then let's look at the moment we're in. We have an Israeli prime minister from the right who actually could deliver the right. He's done actually a lot of good things on the ground in the West Bank. You have to give him credit for that. We have the best Palestinian leadership we've had in a long time. And we have a Sunni Arab world obsessed with Iran, ready to work with Israel more than ever. You'd think in that context Israel could say to the United States, you know, ‘You're doing all this for us, we're just going to stop settlements in Jerusalem, in the West Bank, not temporarily, not moratorium. We're going to give you a chance to actually test the other side whether they're for real. ... Barack Obama, this Bud's for you. We're going to do this for the American people.’ Is that anti-Semitism, is that anti-Israelism, to ask that of an Israeli government, to ask, act first in its own interest and then in America's interest? I don't think so.”
    —Tom Friedman, columnist, The New York Times, Meet the Press, March 14, 2010

    • Middle East Analysis

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    Introduction:
    Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

    Featured speaker:
    Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

    Moderated by:
    Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin

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