Syria insider Joshua Landis explains Syria’s new let’s-pretend-everyone-is-stupid policy towards Lebanon:
Syria’s new policy on Lebanon, begun with president’s speech two weeks ago, is to stop public pronouncements on Lebanon, tell Western diplomats what they want to hear - that Syria will do what it can in Lebanon - yet, at the same time, explain that the West must go to Lebanon to find answers. The public stand is that Lebanon’s problems are her own and Syria cannot do much about it. This is, of course, posturing and fits the Western insistence that Syria must not play a role, which Syria refuses. The result is that Syria and the West will both pretend that no one is influencing Lebanon. It is a good pretend policy.
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The beirut spring is a blog that is interested in Lebanese society and its politics. It started in February 2005 after the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri
July 30th, 2007 at 9:54 am
What a ridiculous comment!
Once again, the claim is made that “the West” and Syria/Iran are the same kind of influences in Lebanon. The assertion is ridiculous. Given the failure of Kouchner’s mission merely to get Lebanese parties to SPEAK to one another, we see how much influence “the West” has over Lebanon. Compare that with Syria/Iran, which worked with Hezbollah to halt sessions aimed at preventing violence in Lebanon.
The only optimistic portrayal of Landis’ quote is that he’s finally recognizing that Syria DOES influence Lebanese politics, rather than asserting the usual Syrian line that the regime merely supporting their thuggish allies in their sister province. He’s also admitting that the Syrians are playing a game predicated on lying.
Unfortunately, he equates “Western” action (or inaction, if you ask “Western” countries working to change the Lebanese system like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and Pakistan) with the dangerous actions taken by Syria and Iran.
July 30th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Oh wow, now it’s “posturing” that Syria is not interfering in Lebanon. Well, well, well. As usual, Landis says just about anything AND its opposite, depending on what the talking points memo is the regime is using.
So for instance, he is on the record saying that this is all chronic Lebanese divisions, the fact that Lebanon is “not a real country” and so on. That was one talking points memo, one we heard Bashar say several times (and Landis, naturally, regurgitates).
Now he’s telling us, wait, this is but the “public” stand and it’s really “posturing”!
Amazing. The guy is a chronic, compulsive liar. A tool through and through.