Assad's next move
By Olivier Guitta
Syrian president Bashar al Assad has been following a double-thronged strategy.
I just wrote an article for the Middle East Times on what could probably be Assad's next move.
You can read the full article here.
Here is an excerpt:
Not a week goes by now without Syria showing up on the radar. In fact, after I analyzed the recent slew of incidents and their possible interpretations in my article last week titled "It is Clutch Time for Syria," this week brought new puzzling developments.
It all started with the U.S. raid in Syrian territory that allegedly targeted a major al-Qaida in Iraq recruiter, Abu Ghadiyah. While this happened five years too late, the timing seems odd.
Interestingly, an Arab diplomat based in Beirut told the Saudi news Web site Elaph.com that the U.S. operation was not only destined to target al-Qaida facilitators but also to send a clear warning to Damascus. Indeed, the diplomat affirmed that Washington wanted to tell Syria not to think about invading Lebanon again.
This follows several media reports which stated that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice conveyed this message verbally to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem when they recently met. Also reportedly the French President Nicolas Sarkozy administration told Damascus the same thing.
Western nations started to worry when Syria moved 10,000 special forces to its border with northern Lebanon. Syria claimed the reason behind the move was to prevent al-Qaida-linked terrorists to enter Syrian territory and create havoc. This explanation is half-baked at best. Especially in light of what occurred this past Thursday when it was learned that Syria is also beginning to amass troops on the border with eastern Lebanon. Syria is indeed preparing its next move.
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