The Attack in Damascus
How does it happen in a most tightly guarded neighborhood in a most tightly controlled city in a most tightly controlled country? Would-be terrorists managed to find explosives and weapons and drive right up to the U.S. Embassy – but while every two-bit hack in Iraq can make his car blow up with spectacular results, these explosives failed to go off and the heroic Syrian army saved the day while a Chinese diplomat (reportedly senior) took pictures from the roof of the nearby Chinese embassy.
How does it happen in a most tightly guarded neighborhood in a most tightly controlled city in a most tightly controlled country? Would-be terrorists managed to find explosives and weapons and drive right up to the U.S. Embassy – but while every two-bit hack in Iraq can make his car blow up with spectacular results, these explosives failed to go off and the heroic Syrian army saved the day while a Chinese diplomat (reportedly senior) took pictures from the roof of the nearby Chinese embassy.
Not quite Keystone Kops, but almost surely a setup by the Syrian government. Was it a threat or a gambit for opening talks? Both countries quickly played both scenarios.
The Syrian Embassy in Washington put out a statement calling it “a heinous terrorist attack by an extremist group”, but blamed the U.S. “What has happened recently in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Iraq is exacerbating the fight against global terrorism. The U.S. should take this opportunity to review its policies in the Middle East and start looking at the root causes of terrorism, and broker a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.” Secretary of State Rice was appreciative. “I do think that the Syrians reacted to this attack in a way that helped to secure our people, and we very much appreciate that.” Press Secretary Snow was not. “Stop harboring terrorist groups, stop being an agent in fomenting terror, and work with us to fight against terror, as Libya has done – that’s the next step for Syria.” Syria is, on the one hand, complicated, on the other hand, obvious. This is, after all, the country that invented the souk.
The Syrian army has been pushed out of Lebanon, the international community is paying at least lip service to preventing Syria from re-arming Hizballah, and Syria is on the hot seat for the assassination of Rafik Hariri. But Syrian intelligence remains in Lebanon (harbored in Palestinian refugee camps among other places), international forces are unlikely to do more than posture, and the UN is running out of steam on the Hariri investigation. Damascus hosts terrorist organizations and has made eastern Syria an access point to Iraq. Note the serious increase in terrorist infiltration and activity in Iraq’s Anbar Province coinciding with the Lebanon war and its aftermath.
Bashar appears to believe neither Israel nor the U.S. will take the war to him, and he may be hedging his bets as his father did. Hafez Assad joined the Gulf War coalition and Junior has provided the U.S. with bits of information about al Qaeda – just enough for some people to believe that he is a closet moderate.
The previous administration took the “peace feeler” gambit, sending Secretary of State Christopher to Damascus more than 20 times with no discernable benefit to the U.S. or the West. The current administration has failed to follow through on its rhetoric about states that harbor and support terrorism.
Which country has the Keystone Kops?