U.S.-Syria: Who’s converting whom?

Former Asst. Secretary of Defense, Peter Rodman in MESH, here

(NOTICE the comments section: Michael Young + Eyal Zisser gang on CSIS's Jon Alterman in siding with the never learning hawks!)

"...........splitting Syria from Iran ...... The obstacle to actually accomplishing this strategic coup is that no one has figured out a way to do it consistently with other important strategic interests or without risk to other strategic interests of the United States.....

.........In other words, while our tough talking points were meant to ratchet up pressures, the Syrians spun the visits into relief from pressures........

.........Arab anger at Syria is a recurring phenomenon—usually short-lived. In recent years, however, given the growing threat from Iran, the unholy alliance between Syria and Iran is likely to remain a big issue in Syrian-Arab relations. We should not forget which side we have the bigger stake in.............

............The incident ('strike') probably has more immediate relevance to our present diplomacy with North Korea, but it is also a reminder of the potential dangers of a Syrian-Israeli conflict. Syria already possesses other forms of WMD if not nuclear weapons..........

Syrian policies have made it harder to visualize any kind of rapprochement.........Ultimately there will have to be a Syrian-Israeli peace settlement—everyone knows that—but it should be in a strategic context that strengthens the forces of moderation in the region rather than weakening them. Syria will be thinking strategically if it pursues a dialogue with Israel; so should we."