There is no doubt that Syria has excelled in managing its (persistent) conflict with the West and particularly the United States, which placed it among the axis of evil, and enacted a law called "Syria's Accountability Act".
Syria's relations with France under Jacques Chirac reached an impasse after trust between the two countries was demolished because of different visions on Lebanon. U.S. President George W. Bush did not hesitate to refer in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro at the time that UN Security Council resolution 1009 was issued, and necessitates the departure of the Syrian army from Lebanon, was purely a French proposal. Bush added that President Jacques Chirac talked with over the phone for an hour and almost dictated the terms of this resolution.
It seemed clear that Syria found itself in a real impasse after the major powers exercised pressure that led to its isolation to a large extent. When Nicolas Sarkozy came to power, it became obvious that he inherited hostility to Syria. Chirac's last meeting before he left the Élysée
Palace was with Saad Hariri, along with Sarkozy. At the time, French political circles said that Chirac reconciled Hariri and Sarkozy and made them vow on the need for continued pressure on Syria.
This was a necessary prelude to assert that Syria did not find an easy way for rebuilding confidence again with the West. The latter seemed to reject engagement with Damascus despite an advice from a number of American reports. The most important of them was the Baker-Hamilton report which estimated that it was unwise to isolate Syria or to exclude it deliberately from the proposed solutions in the Middle East.
It is also fair to say that Syria has found Iran the only friend, given the complexity of its relations with several Arab countries including Egypt, where the atmosphere is not very good. Thus, the two neighbours drew closer together and their relationship became more intimate because of the strong ties between the two leaderships. In addition, Syria and Iran felt that they were trapped in the same hole according to Western (U.S.) orders. The two countries being listed as two leading members of the axis of evil was the biggest proof of that. It is important to emphasize that when Syrian-Western relations turn weaker, Syrian-Iranian relations became stronger.
In all cases, and perhaps due to the skill of Syrian diplomacy, Syria has not lost hope in rethinking the ongoing tense events in the region and the world. It managed to do that to forge a new relationship with the U.S. and France in practical terms. This relationship is based on two principles: common interests and mutual respect. Thus it was unusual to hear French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner praising Syria and its leadership. As for President Sarkozy, he became calm and peaceful in his relationship with Syria and with President Bashar al-Assad.
This is attributed to Syrian diplomacy which was able to end the hostility and bring France back as a key supporter of the Syrian position. It is no secret today that Syrian-French relations have advanced immensely in bilateral coordination, which was revealed by mutual visits between Syrian and French leaders in the recent past.
Following the same example, the Syrian diplomacy achieved another success with the United States, especially after the arrival of Barack Obama. Syria has taken advantage of Obama's declaration to follow a policy different from his predecessor, and his confirmation of his will to start a new chapter, not where his predecessor ended. It is not an exaggeration to say that Washington and Paris knew that security and stability in Lebanon or Iraq could only be achieved through Damascus in addition to Syria's ability to influence the resistance forces such as Hezbollah and Hamas. This is what actually happened, and perhaps it was a token of a new friendship between the three capitals (Damascus, Washington and Paris).
It is true that the U.S. and France planned that the new normalization scheme with Syria would be at the expense of the good relations between Damascus and Tehran. But the Syrian diplomacy is credited for not missing that factor. Therefore, it seized several opportunities to confirm that its closeness to the West would not come on the ruins of the Syrian-Iranian relations. Moreover, the Syrians maintained that Bashar al-Assad would not follow the example of President Anwar Sadat, whom they consider has sell his regional and Arabic ties in favour of the U.S. mirage - as the Syrians put it.
Perhaps this Syrian attitude is due to the perception of the Syrian leadership that Syrian-U.S. relations
can not be 100% pure as long as Israel existed. But more importantly, Syria has realized that the U.S. and France need it more than Syria needs them. And the other thing is that Syria can not sacrifice its relations with Iran, which was one of the very few countries which supported it at the height of the U.S. embargo, and the fierce "Syria's Accountability Act".
We must also note that at the time when relations between Syria and the United States and France were good and clear, Damascus completed the remaining items of the joint defence agreement with Iran, particularly after the International Atomic Energy Agency raised the problem of the alleged Syrian nuclear reactor. This issue assured to the Syrian political thinking that the Western policy towards Syria is still (rife) with the legacy of aggression that may need more time to disappear. Moreover, the Western hostile perception to Damascus and Tehran was a motive to bring the two countries closer together. Leaders or ministers of the two countries exchange visits almost every month.
In short: All these factors prove that it is hard to believe that the Syrian leadership will follow the example of Sadat, especially that it has crossed the critical stage in its Arab and regional relations without losing Iran or sacrificing it to the United States and Europe. This is due to its unique ability – as Le Monde newspaper mentioned – to draw parallel lines in its regional and international policies.
Expert in international political relations Al-Ahram Foundation, Egypt
