Worried About A Damascus Washington Rapprochement? You Needn’t Be
Hillary Clinton is getting out of her way to allay Lebanese fears over an American Syrian dialogue.
Bummer. It turns out Hillary Clinton is just Like George W. Bush after all. Or so it must be what’s going through the heads of the Iranians and the Syrians right now. The “axis of evil” states are suddenly coming to the realization that President Obama won’t be so cuddly after all.
How could the Iranians not be concerned, as they watch America’s top diplomat all but ignore their darling Hamas while showering cash and praise on their nemesis Mahmood Abbas, the President of the Palestinian authority? How could they not be queasy as they watch Hillary’s chumminess with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a man they worked so hard with their proxies to discredit..
Not that things are better for the Syrians. Bashar El Assad thought that he was hearing great news: Two top washington officials are to be dispatched for talks. Finally, they’re talking to us! He must have thought. But then came the shocker: One of the two is Jeffrey Feltman. Yes, that Jeffrey Feltman, the same “Godfather” of the Lebanese Cedar Revolution, the man who worked hard to kick them out of their cherished Lebanon. How could anything good come out of that man?
You see, this is the American way of telling the Lebanese: Don’t worry, we got your back. And just in case you still don’t get the message, or are still in anyway concerned about a deal that will sell you out, Feltman and Shapiro will visit Beirut twice: Once before heading to Syria and once after coming back. They will also have dinner with M.P. Saad Hariri, a man whose movement attacks Syria anytime it gets the chance to.
Add to that a sprinkle of symbolism for the most die-hard of conspiracists: American officials made it clear that the visit “Will not take place on March 8″, the date in which hundreds of thousands of Pro-Syrians marched in Beirut in 2005. Ahh, the Fletman effect has begun…
In other words, while many Arab and Iranian commentators will fret about how America “still doesn’t get it”, the Lebanese should try -for a change- to shelve their paranoia.
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Hello, my name is Mustapha and I blog in The Beirut Spring about Lebanese society and politics. I started in February 2005 after the killing of P.M. Rafik Hariri.
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Are you sure that Feltman’s position is so positive?
Well, Elizabeth, see for yourself:
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/03/04/the-wrong-envoy-to-syria.aspx
Clinton is a pro and Syria is opportunist. The situation is complicated enough but now we have a world economic crisis with everybody’s future circling the drain pipe. I’d say that if Syria can be convinced to cut the umbilical cord to Iran (which is only remotely possible) the talks with Clinton will be beneficial for Syria. If economic survival is important for the Syrians I believe they’ll be willing to put off the “Greater Syria” vision for the immediate future. I would count on Clinton to make that point. As somebody once said, making predictions is a difficult business – especially about the future.
Mustapha,
Welcome back.
I think there is no way to know what the Americans are giving to the Syrians, based on the symbolism of envoys. Feltman could be handing them the keys to the old presidential palace that is currently being renovated (next to the “Haqiqa sign”) and we still wouldn’t know about it.
Any substantive changes in the relationship will begin to appear in a staggered fashion, so that the quid pro quos are not as obvious.
I think qifa has a point. just look at the recent overtures Obama reportedly made to Russia in regards to Iran. it seems he’s ready throw eastern Europe under the bus to achieve some political objectives, i can’t help but wonder what he might offer “boy Assad” in regards to Iran as well. stay skeptical, trust is virtue that is earned.
Ramsis,
What you are saying about Obama is not true. The US is not selling eastetn Europe, it offered Russia a delay in its missile system so both can tackle the Iranian issue. Russia don’t want a nuclear strong Iran with its connection to the Sovient Union-era Muslim states. Russia is using Iran to achieve its goals. Read the speech by the Iranian official who said that we can run the nuclear plant with no help from the Russian!
The US is busy with the economy, Iraq and Afghanistan and does not want a cold war with the Russians right now! But both (the US and Russia) will work on Iran.
Jeffrey feltman is awesome! we need more ppl like him
Mustapha! Welcome back … and you chose a good subject to come back with! I’ve been meaning to write a post about this “rapprochement” but haven’t had a chance (I had to start by squashing some ridiculous sentiments out there ahead of the elections) :P
As for everyone getting lovey-dovey with Syria, well here’s a quickie, notice that it happened after the start of the STL became inevitable, after Hamas’ defeat in Gaza, and as the investigation into Syria’s activities heats up. Those cards were ripped out Syria’s hands before any talking started.
We will see.
Clinton is tough as nails and she is no new kid on the block. Bottomline is that Obama will still have the final word in any “crisis” – it’s anybodies guess which way that wind will blow.
For the present – things are looking good. It could have been a lot worse with a Secretary of State who needed “on the job training”. That’s not Clinton. Bill and Hillary are, and always have been, a team.
Jade,
What does STL stand for?
Welcome back Mustapha :)
GK, STL special tribunal for Lebanon. I think there’s some kind of rapprochement going on not just between the US and Syria but also between arab countries and Syria in an attempt to hamper Iran’s influence in the region. Now the syrians will of course play their usual cards as “unavoidable brokers” specially in Lebanon and Palestine, but I think the americans wont allow much leverage there anymore at least for now… Unless Israel’s Netanyahu gives Syria a much needed helping hand by refering the Shalit negociations to the syrians instead of Egypt for ex or any other means to keep Assad afloat.
ITs a wait and see phase right now.
What planet do you live on Mustapha? Planet Gahana? where people think reality and wishes are the same thing? haha. bashar is today in ksa with mubarak with the patronage of the U.S. of A (American, your love). Your analysis come to this : Tozzzzzz
we’ve been sold already
Pathetic is the right word to describe this mentality!
While Lebanon is simply a playing card in the hands of the Americans, the French, the Syrians, the Saudis, the Egyptians, the Russians and the Israelis, the Lebanese do think that the US likes them for the sake of their Taboulhe and Mezzeh!
Facts remain facts, when it comes to choices on playing cards, you are not Syria to the US , Syria is more important, you are a card the US uses to play with Damascus, but for the sake of this card the US will never lose the entire game.
So yes, be worried about the US, Saudi, Egypt talking to the Syrians because this means the game is going the right way.
P.S remind us what did the Americans exactly do when their “allies” in Lebanon got their ass kicked by Hizbullah? They sent a warship to the Lebanese cost after all was over? Right!!
Just like they did with Georgia!
You are Georgia and Syria is Russia to the US. Accept this reality!
Keep denying reality until it bites you, but remember that it might really hurts!
Mustapha,
My name is Nathan, and I’ve been researching Lebanon for my anthropology class at the University of Vermont. I agree that the choice of Feltman was designed to send a strong message to both Lebanon and Syria. Is it especially significant that this diplomatic move should coincide with the opening of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, or is this merely a new president beginning to flex his diplomatic muscles? For that matter, do you feel that this is a new direction in US regional relations, or a continuation of the policies endorsed by Bush? You suggested that this move is a pointed nod towards March 14ists. Do anti-Syrian parties share your view of Obama as an ally?
Thank you very much for your time,
Nathan Wigfield
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
now all your hopes are placed in hillary clinton?!?
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
nathan wigfield,
mustapha believes that anything the U.S. does, whether it is republican or democrat at the time, is designed to send a strong message. and yes, the timing IS signigicant, according to mustapha. the timing is ALWAYS significant. and yes, mustapha would say that the american president is flexing his diplomatic muscles. and his military muscles. and the U.S. just knows what it is doing overall. at this time, mustapha cannot answer you for himself, for he is to busy taking the pits out of dates.
moustapha would suck c*(k to get an american passport. sadly all he’ll get is a ghana passport.
ya haram ya mustapha. well, at least he gets visitation visas to week-long events at various zionist think tanks. i wonder how much they allow him to think at these tanks. in any case, these visitations are definitely conjugal visitations.
Anything the US does, Israel, France, Russia, the UK, Canada, China, Saudi, Egypt, and (fill in any country except Syria, Iran and Sudan) , anything they do is to help Lebanon and piss of Syria. This is the bottom line of any “analysis” on this blog. Lebanon is the center of the Middle East and is an oasis of democracy (forget the warlords and the sectarian hysteria) and every country in the world has only one interest: To find out who killed Hariri.
When that is found, Lebanon will leave in peace and harmony and the whole world will have nothing else to do but send tourists to Lebanon.
This is the world according to Mustapha.
Interesting to see what new “analysis” we will see here after the Saudis started warming up with Assad, and the Egyptians and the Americans, hmmmmm there must be a conspiracy here, do not be worried, Mustapha said, do not be worried, they all love Lebanon and Obama probably has a map of Lebanon under his pillow, do not worry about anything, they love us and they will give us flowers and nice pink teddy bears to play with. Oh, how sweet!
Middle East and more importantly its “political” class are the worst of politics in the world. In this part of the world there is no room to forgive. Every political activity is envied, conspired, and condemned as unworkable, bad, bad, bad for the world. How about this, write the name of every single family on a ruffle ticket, redraw the map of middle east into some viable states. Draw the names and located the family where ever their name matches the new state. This is when there will be life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in middles east or else, it will remain the political shit it is.
Interesting site, but much advertisments on him. Shall read as subscription, rss.