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Syria-Lebanon
U.S. decides on carrots for Assad
2003-08-06
From Geostrategy-Direct, requires subscription...
The Bush administration has decided to ease the pressure on Syria. Damascus might be a leading safe haven for terrorists, a weapons of mass destruction producer, a source of terrorists and weapons for the Sunni insurgency in Iraq — but the White House has decided that what’s now required is a carrot for President Bashar Assad. CIA and State Department analysts have concluded that Assad is not really a bad guy, after all.
Hmm..no mention of DOD here.
He’s just weak and does not really run the show in Damascus. Instead, the aides of Assad’s late father have emerged to control much of the policy in Syria, particularly relating to such strategic issues as terrorism and Iraq. So, the State Department has convinced President Bush to lay off Assad and even offer him some carrots. Here are two such incentives:
1. U.S. military training. The administration is trying to convince Congress that despite Syria being included on its list of terrorist sponsors, Damascus should be eligible for U.S. military aid. No other country on the terror list is eligible for this.
I hope State knows something we don’t. This concerns me.
2. U.S. investments. State and CIA analysts argue that Syria should be seen as another China. In other words, invest in the economy and watch how Damascus will become more democratic. The result has been major incentives for U.S. companies to invest in Syria’s energy sector, the only one open to foreign companies.
China is selling missles and hardware, too, esp to Iran. I don’t feel good about the analogy that CIA presents. However, if we are in the energy sector, that would give our operatives cover to poke around Syria. I had a friend in the drilling mud business that did that for DIA.
Posted by:Alaska Paul

#4  Chris,Colin!
What's up with that?
Posted by: raptor   2003-8-7 9:24:04 AM  

#3  I checked the code and fiddled it a bit, but can't figure why it doesn't work. If anybody gets it again, please forward a screen shot to me.

I hate bugs.... (Grumble)
Posted by: Fred   2003-8-6 10:51:02 PM  

#2  uh Fred? might wanna look at the " 'cint" vbscript error line 42 that did this?
Posted by: Frank G   2003-8-6 7:37:20 PM  

#1  Assad is just a puppet for the Generals and Senior Baath party bureaucrats left over from Dad's regime. If you look closely you can see their hands up his ass. That's why he squints so much even though he was an eye Dr.
Posted by: Frank G   2003-8-6 7:36:04 PM  

00:00