W, AS IN WINNING:

End of regional role of Syria (Middle East Online, 4/11/05)

Thirty years after Syria's tiny neighbour Lebanon plunged into civil war, the region's dominant powerbrokers in Damascus have witnessed a dramatic political reversal caused in part by the very troops sent in to separate the warring sides.

With Washington heaping pressure on Syria, and the United Nations demanding it pull its soldiers from Lebanon, the Syrian leadership has found itself on the defensive not only in Lebanon but also in the wider region.

It's "the end of the regional role of Syria", says Syrian political analyst and writer Michel Kilo, stressing that the withdrawal of the estimated 14,000 troops who were still in Lebanon last year would also have an impact on Syria's power structure, economy and society in general.

Other analysts suggest that with the international spotlight emboldening the Syrian opposition, Damascus will need to revise its domestic policy quickly or risk the country being destabilised.

They're playing our song...

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 11, 2005 12:50 PM