The San Diego Union Tribune has a piece on the recent arrests of democracy activists in Syria. It suggests that Assad is confident that US efforts to isolate and punish Syria will not work. Assad probably has good reason for that belief.
“The Western isolation increased after the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri. France said late last year it was suspending diplomatic ties with Damascus until it did more to help resolve a stalemate in Lebanon’s stalled presidential election.
“But three weeks later Germany’s foreign minister met his Syrian counterpart in Berlin, saying containment and isolation would not work. The Dutch foreign minister visited Syria last week and Austria’s minister was due in Damascus on Wednesday.
“Diplomats in Damascus expect most Western countries to continue to deal with Syria as a secular government with an important regional role and a shared agenda to curb Islamists.”
