It seems that US is in no mood to give diplomacy a chance when dealing with Syria and Iran (countries included in America’s axis of evil). Syria is long been accused by the United States of fomenting unrest in Lebanon and Iraq, but the brand new economic sanctions against some Syrian individuals is a clear sign that Washington wants Damascus to stay away from meddling in Lebanese domestic affairs. The imposition of sanctions against the Syrians is another way of undermining the role of the United Nations in the region, which for many is the only organization that can bring stability to the region, if it acts properly without the influence of Washington or other western nations.
It’s true that Syria does have a negative influence on Lebanese politics, given the bitter history of Lebanese civil war and subsequent Syrian military intervention in Lebanon. But, US should give the diplomacy a chance to deal with the situation. What does the US hope to win in sanctioning four Syrian individuals, when the problem is such deep-rooted?
Yes, sanctions would definitely limit the financial reach of those influential Syrian individuals, but that does not mean that political and security unrest in Lebanon would reduce in the long-term, rather there is a chance of a negative impact on the situation. One of the negative consequences of this sanction is the growth of the ‘anti-Americanism’ rhetoric among the pro-Syrian population in Lebanon, which would further lead to tensions between Syrian and anti-Syrian supporters of the country.
One very important thing US seems to forget is that Israel, its best friend in the middle-east, is part of the problem. Israel’s regular air strikes on Syrian infrastructure have led Damascus to support Hezbollah and launch attacks on Israeli soil whereas, the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanese soil would always ensure that peace in the country is hard to achieve. Moreover, last year’s war between Hezbollah and Israel, in which thousands of innocent Lebanese lost their lives, is a major factor in declining support for the western powers across the country.
Syrians, just like the Iranians, have accused US of a double standard towards them. US supports Israeli attacks on possible future nuclear sites across the Syrian territory, whereas on the other hand Washington supports Egyptian and Jordanian nuclear ambitions. However, analysts have proved that it is nearly impossible for a small, poor impoverished nation, Syria (annual GDP is estimated to be just over $40billion) to pursue nuclear weapons.
When it comes to stabilizing Iraq, Syria is one of the major players in the region, but these latest sanctions could isolate Damascus even more which in turn lead to further instability in the region as rogue elements within the Syrian and Lebanese political structure set to hijack the situation.
Link: MSNBC
Image Link: Canada.com
