Syria

Bilal Saab analyzes Syria's relations with the West as well as its Middle East neighbors.  Saab argues that though U.S.-Syrian relations have been dismal throughought recent history, there is potential for improvement under a new U.S. president. 

Syria said that an Islamist militant group active in Lebanon was behind a suicide car bombing that killed 17 people in Damascus in September.

Judging by news accounts and images shown on television, it seemed likely that the government had orchestrated the protest.

by Peter Ryan

According to Syrian media, on October 26th, 2008 four U.S. helicopters based in Iraq launched a deadly airstrike on a farm under construction about five miles from the Iraq-Syria border. According to CNN, "a U.S. official who did not want to be identified said U.S. gunships fired near the Syria-Iraq border and successfully targeted Abu Ghadiya, an Iraqi suspected of working with al Qaeda to smuggle money, weapons and foreign fighters into Iraq."

According to Syrian accounts, eight civilians were killed in the attack.

The following day reporters asked Department of State spokesperson Sean McCormack about the U.S. air strike and about Syria's role in preventing fighters from entering Iraq. Here is what he had to say:

QUESTION: Are you satisfied with Syria’s help to prevent fighters to go to Iraq?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, look, I think I will – I guess I’ll respond to Lach’s question a bit here. I’ll let the folks at the Pentagon describe in any detail how they view the situation. I think it – there was – there has been, over the years, a changed situation. We read a lot about infiltration over the Syrian border into Iraq quite a bit three, four years ago, a couple years ago; less so now. That doesn’t mean that it’s not – there aren’t continuing issues in that regard.

In a related question, he gave his summary of improvements Syria has made:

MR. MCCORMACK: Look, Syria knows what it needs to do in order to play a different role in the region. It has taken some steps in a positive direction. I would note, for example, their decision to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon. It’s a positive step. And of course, their decision that they took with the Israelis to have contacts via the Turkish Government about coming to a peace settlement. So those are certainly positive steps, but again, there’s still a ways to go.

Deputy spokesman Robert wood, echoed these sentiments yesterday, October 28th:

MR. WOOD: No, I don’t. But let me just say, as Sean said yesterday, with regard to, you know, the flow of foreign fighters across the border, the Syrians have made, in the past, some -– taken some steps in the right direction. But there’s a lot that they need to do, and we have spoken to Syria about what they need to do.

It is a very strange thing that, a few days after violating Syrian sovereignty and bombing a target within Syria's borders, that a U.S. representative should essentially praise the "positive steps" Syria has made. Certainly Mr. McCormack and Mr. Wood make it clear that we are not perfectly happy with Syria and its role in the region, but there is a general and pervasive sense that Syria is moving in the right direction.

If we were really cautiously optimistic about Syria and its efforts, why did we risk fragile diplomatic efforts on a single, high-risk military strike? Did we really not imagine that this would tarnish U.S.-Syrian relations, that this would make it harder, rather than easier, to seek Syria's cooperation on pivotal issues-such as halting the flow of foreign fighters?

The move was in retaliation for a raid into Syria on Sunday by American forces, Syria’s official news agency said.

The U.S. confirmed that a mission took place in the area of an attack that Iran and Syria said killed eight people.

Witnesses said American shelling caused the blast, but local authorities said that could not be confirmed.