THE U.S. government has never tolerated attacks on U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. Pearl Harbor precipitated our joining World War II, and 9/11 drew swift attacks in Afghanistan. This past week's terrorist attacks against the American embassy in Syria should be treated no differently. The response needed to this is not violence but engagement of Syria as part of a larger plan to secure peace in the Middle East.
Last Thursday, four Syrian terrorists tried to explode a car bomb in the U.S. embassy in Damascus. Sadly, in the wake of the attempted bombing, the Bush administration's only response was muted thanks to Syrian security. The terrorist attack in Damascus presents a unique opportunity for the U.S. to re-engage Syria diplomatically. When this is combined with recent developments in the Palestinian territories, it is clear that a window of opportunity has opened to make a renewed push for peace in the Middle East.
The culprit behind the attack, according to the Syrian government, is the Soldiers of Damascus, an Islamist terrorist group. The existence of such a group with operational capabilities in Syria is, frankly, shocking. Syria is, in the words of a former British ambassador, "a very tight police state" with four internal security services. Although Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is claiming victory, this attack demonstrates the growing unrest within Syria. The terrorists obtained arms and organized an attack in a country where freedom of speech and assembly are nonexistent. Assad can boast all he wants, but he has shown himself to be in a position of weakness.
That's why the time is ripe for diplomacy. With growing U.S. problems in the Middle East, a regional partner would be a great asset. Similarly, external stability would help Syria quell internal problems that threaten its government. Unfortunately, U.S. policymakers are turning a deaf ear. Bush administration neoconservatives point out that Syria is on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism. They also bemoan Syria's aid to Hezbollah and its sheltering of Hamas. In Congress, legislators are competing to come up with absurd conspiracy theories. Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl.) and ranking democrat Elliot Engel (D-NY.) of the International Relations sub-committee on the Middle East and East Asia both argue that Syria invented the attacks in order to avoid U.S. action. These hawkish attitudes, however, confuse Syria with Iran.
Iran is the rising power of the Middle East, second only to Israel. Iran has clear interests for funding and arming Hezbollah since the more it can destabilize Israel and Lebanon, the greater its power and influence. Syria, on the other hand, has little to gain, and a lot to lose. Disrupting life in Lebanon gives Syria more sway over Lebanese politics, but at far too great a cost. Hezbollah is a radical Shiite terrorist group while Syria is a secular state that is 74 percent Sunni. As armed Islamists gained power, Syria's Baathist regime will be their first casualty. If the United States can make Syria realize its security vulnerabilities, then a grand bargain could be in the cards.
In order for U.S.-Syria negotiations to succeed, three lingering issues must be addressed: Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah. Syria is technically still at war with Israel. After losing the Yom Kippur War, there has been an uneasy ceasefire between Israel and Syria. Israel has refused to cede the Golan Heights because of its strategic location and Syria has refused to accept anything less than its complete return. With both Syria and Israel in weak positions, active pressure by the United States could finally bridge the gap that derailed negotiations in 1999. However, no deal can be reached without considering the Palestinians. Syria has been protecting Hamas' exiled leadership in Damascus and BBC News reported that Syria has been pressuring Hamas leadership not to accept a prisoner-swap deal for Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit. With a national-unity government of Hamas and Fatah appearing eminent, there may be room to maneuver. Israel is willing to talk to a Fatah-led PA and the floodgates of aid will be reopened since Fatah both recognizes Israel and renounces violence. A weakened Hamas and a Palestinian people free from crushing sanctions will be happy to negotiate.
The final prerequisite for Syrian-Israeli-Palestinian peace is an agreement on Hezbollah. Despite all the browbeating in America, it seems that Iran was supplying Hezbollah's weapons -- Syria was just a conduit. The key, therefore, is placing peacekeeping troops on the Syria-Lebanon border. What better way to help Syria with its security problem than to provide it with counterterrorism forces? A few N.A.T.O. battalions could help Syria tackle Islamic extremists while keeping an eye on the flow of people and weapons into Lebanon. Achieving peace in the Middle East will not be easy, and the diplomacy I've delineated is idealistic, but that's why Condoleezza Rice is our Secretary of State.
Josh Levy's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at jlevy@cavalierdaily.com.
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