"Sarkozy's Gamble? France's recent insistence upon engaging Syria has been in anticipation of an end to America's isolation of Damascus..."

WPR, here and Atlantic Council of the US, here

"...But I think Gvosdev is onto something, and it goes beyond the Washington-Paris-Moscow conduit. His suggestion brings to mind the possibility that France's recent insistence upon engaging Syria has been in anticipation of
an end to America's isolation of Damascus. (It's interesting to note that the Syrian ambassador to the U.S. suggested that a McCain administration would have supported engaging Damascus as well.) Certainly the progress Sarkozy and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner have made in restoring French-Syrian relations will put them in good position to help smooth the way for Washington..."