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US Mending Ties with Syria

It is a welcome move since US-Syria estrangement over the past many years has not helped either.

The strain in relations increased with the inclusion of Syria in former president George Bush’s infamous Axis of Evil along with Iran and North Korea. A further deterioration in ties occurred with the US imposing financial sanctions and passing the Syria Accountability Act, an embargo on US exports to Syria, in 2004 — and, later, Hariri’s assassination. What is unfortunate is that a severing of communication only led to a widening of the chasm, let alone any of the existing differences dissipating on their own. As a result, Washington lost a valuable mediator, one with considerable influence over Iran.

President Barack Obama’s reconciliation and outreach policy has at least pushed matters ahead with states previously estranged. Syria is not only a significant player in Middle East, its ties with Iran are especially significant. The role Damascus can play in bearing influence on Teheran, with regard to its regional part in general and the nuclear issue in particular, offers a channel to Washington it should not ignore. That is why the Obama administration has sought to renew contact; a forthcoming visit by a top State Department official, William Burns, is also part of the initiative. Alleged Iranian intervention in Lebanon, Palestine and in Iraq, not to forget other Gulf States, has been a source of constant worry for the US. By re-establishing ties with Syria, the US can at least get a better perspective of developments in the region, instead of relying on third sources that are often distorted.

The re-establishment of diplomatic ties is especially important at this juncture. While Israel has denied any intention of starting a war with Iran, its recent posturing has led to a buildup of tensions in the neighbourhood. Top Israeli officials have recently threatened both Lebanon and Syria in very clear terms. The danger of another regional war erupting in the Middle East is very real, unless more responsible states intervene and rein in an increasingly belligerent Israel. It is important that the White House realise the implications of such a possibility. A conflict at this point can only derail its efforts to pull back Iran from its pursuit of a covert nuclear 
weapon programme.

Involving Syrian mediation at this point may provide an essential breakthrough in areas where threats of sanctions or use of force have proved futile. In case Iran is truly adamant on building a nuclear bomb, it is not going to change its course even on the mediation of its long-standing allies. But it is still worth a try. Syrian rapprochement should also give Washington something else to ponder on. Can the same not be achieved with Teheran without 
regressing to threats?