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Source: http://bitterlemons-international.org/inside.php?id=1177
Despite Washington's Conciliatory Steps, Damascus Remains Intransigent
[bitterlemons-international] David Schenker - In recent months, in an effort to build confidence, the U.S. administration has dispatched seven delegations to Damascus. Yet not only are jihadis continuing to flow into Iraq via Syria, but the Assad regime appears to be actively working to undermine the stability of the Iraqi government. For the past six years, the Assad regime has provided al-Qaeda carte blanche to attack neighboring states via its territory. After half a year of its good-faith effort to forge a partnership with Damascus, the Obama administration has hit a wall. While Syrian officials routinely articulate a desire for improved relations with Washington, the Assad regime has yet to take steps necessary to make this possible. Absent critical Syrian follow-through on Iraq, Washington may want to reevaluate its conciliatory approach. The writer is director of the Program on Arab Politics at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.