CRANKIN' THE QUAD:

The Quadrangle of Evil: What to do about 'Friendly Syria'? (Michael M. Rosen, 02/21/2005, Tech Central Station)

[H]ow can we bring about change in the repressive Syrian regime of Bashar Assad?

First, we must recognize that the road to change in Damascus runs through Beirut. Until Syria encounters genuine opposition to its presence in Lebanon, Assad will continue to believe that neither the U.S. nor the international community will challenge his curtailment of human rights at home or his adventures in sponsoring jihad abroad.

Second, the U.S. must continue to apply diplomatic pressure to Assad. On Tuesday, Washington recalled its ambassador to Damascus as a reflection of our "deep concern" and "profound outrage" over the bombing. The U.S. also sponsored a resolution at the UN Security Council deploring the bombing and asking the Secretary-General to investigate. This followed two resolutions in 2004 in which the Council called on all foreign armies to quit Lebanon forthwith. [...]

Third, and perhaps most importantly, we must aggressively court and support Syrian dissidents attempting to build civil society in opposition to the Assad regime. Several pundits have pressed the case for bolstering Iranian human rights activists as the best mechanism for effecting regime change. They bemoan the embarrassingly small amount of money we bestow on these groups when every additional dollar could make an enormous difference.

The same logic applies to Syria. [...]

Bringing about reform in Syria may unlock the Iranian puzzle as well. Just as Damascus and Tehran appear to be hunkering down together in the face of global outrage over the assassination, so too could opening up Syrian society loosen the Mullahs' grip on power.