Be Careful What You Wish For In Syria -- Theodore Kattouf, Daily Beast
Just prior to ending my tour in Syria as U.S. Ambassador in August 2003, I sent off an analysis of what de-stabilizing the Assad regime could mean for U.S. regional interests. It was chosen as my valedictory because some Administration officials with a neocon bent were leaking stories that Syria “should be next” after our invasion of Iraq. Entitled, “Be Careful What You Wish For,” this analysis predicted that substantially weakening the Assad regime would likely ignite a civil war. That war in turn could result in a failed state or an Islamist dictatorship led by the types that had already begun attacking coalition forces in Iraq.
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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials
'This Is Just the Beginning': A Bloody Night With Egypt's Protesters -- Evan Hill, The Atlantic
Morsi Fans the Flames of Hatred in Egypt -- Matthias Gebauer, Spiegel Online
Egypt's Islamists driven into the arms of an old enemy -- Alan Philps, The National
A relatively rational Iran? -- Yoel Guzansky, Haaretz
Travels with a Bomb Disposal Unit in Libya -- Till Mayer, Spiegel Online
A Recipe for Violence. Obama’s ‘offshore balancing’ and the New Middle East -- Thomas Donnelly, Weekly Standard
Dealing with Pakistan’s brinkmanship -- Shyam Saran, The Hindu
The Problem of Clichy: After 2005 Riots, France’s Suburbs Are Still Miserable -- Bruce Crumley, Time
Spain's Growing Catalan Conundrum -- Nicholas Siegel, Real Clear World
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Pivot? Central Europe’s Worrie
Travels with a Bomb Disposal Unit in Libya -- Till Mayer, Spiegel Online
A Recipe for Violence. Obama’s ‘offshore balancing’ and the New Middle East -- Thomas Donnelly, Weekly Standard
Dealing with Pakistan’s brinkmanship -- Shyam Saran, The Hindu
The Problem of Clichy: After 2005 Riots, France’s Suburbs Are Still Miserable -- Bruce Crumley, Time
Spain's Growing Catalan Conundrum -- Nicholas Siegel, Real Clear World
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Pivot? Central Europe’s Worries About U.S. Foreign Policy -- Pawel Swieboda, Foreign Affairs
Challenges facing Mexico’s new president -- Roger F. Noriega, Washington Times
Benghazi blunder: CIA opts for CYA -- Michael Walsh, New York Post
End the war on terror and save billions -- Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post
A Recipe for Violence. Obama’s ‘offshore balancing’ and the New Middle East -- Thomas Donnelly, Weekly Standard
Dealing with Pakistan’s brinkmanship -- Shyam Saran, The Hindu
The Problem of Clichy: After 2005 Riots, France’s Suburbs Are Still Miserable -- Bruce Crumley, Time
Spain's Growing Catalan Conundrum -- Nicholas Siegel, Real Clear World
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Pivot? Central Europe’s Worries About U.S. Foreign Policy -- Pawel Swieboda, Foreign Affairs
Challenges facing Mexico’s new president -- Roger F. Noriega, Washington Times
Benghazi blunder: CIA opts for CYA -- Michael Walsh, New York Post
End the war on terror and save billions -- Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post