Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Rapprochement
Syria found itself increasingly isolated yesterday as the US and France stepped up their pressure for withdrawal of its forces from neighbouring Lebanon.
"The Syrians are out of step with where the region is going and out of step with the aspirations of the people of the region," the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, said at a joint news conference with the French foreign minister, Michel Barnier.
When the United States and France issue a joint press release aimed at an Arab dictatorship, the targeted regime had better listen up. There is a non-trivial chance that in the coming months American airborne troops and the French Foreign Legion will march into Lebanon shoulder-to-shoulder.
Jacques Chirac considered himself a close friend of Rafik Hariri, whose assassination touched off what we hope will become the Cedar Revolution. Lebanon represents a great opportunity for Chirac to avenge his friend, re-establish French influence in the Middle East and prestige on the world stage, and embrace the objectives of the United States on a subject about which the two countries are in total agreement. Bush, for his part, can use the Lebanon crisis to patch up our relations with France by giving Chirac a chance to look like a leader.
Bush is on a helluva roll.
1 Comments:
By 
Fausta, at
Wed Mar 02, 09:18:00 AM:
Syria might be trying to pressure France though, at least indirectly through the release of a video where the journalist pleads for her life (details here). I don't believe it'll work.
