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Source: http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/706jkbke.asp
Damascus Should Not Be Rewarded for Its "Nuanced" Position on Islamist Terrorism
[Weekly Standard] Hassan Mneimneh - Damascus has long epitomized a "nuanced" understanding of Islamist terrorism. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hizbullah have earned Syria's endorsement and significant material backing. Similarly, authorities in Damascus have fueled the insurgency in Iraq, championed as praiseworthy "resistance to U.S. occupation." Under the watch of Syria's intelligence services, the most virulent radical jihadist networks have relied on Syria as a thoroughfare through which to channel streams of suicide bombers and other jihadists into Iraq. Syria's choice should be simple: an end to support for all terrorism and respect for Lebanon's independence, or America will sit on the sidelines. The writer, a native of Beirut, is a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.