JINSA Report #603 Attack in Damascus

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September 13, 2006

JINSA Report #603

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.

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?

To view this JINSA Report online click on the link below.
http://www.jinsa.org/JINSAReports/3534

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