Syria Rejoins The Arab League After A 12-Year Absence
The Arab world has welcomed Syria back into the fold; specifically, by readmitting the Assad regime into the Arab League, from which it was evicted 12 years ago.
A lot is being read into this move, and from the Western perspective, the bulk of analysis hinges on the perception that the U.S. is losing ground in the Middle East. It is, of course, rather more complicated than that.
The Arab League's decision to readmit Assad after 12 years of war is not an expression of loyalty or commitment. Instead, it's an acknowledgment that Assad is here to stay, and it would be better to keep the lines of communication open with Syria, rather than isolating a regime surrounded by power actors from the Gulf to Iran, Russia, and Turkey. Everyone is vying for power and readmittance to the Arab club is a way to secure a modicum of control. While the Saudis are talking about restoring diplomatic ties with Syria and inviting Assad to Arab League meetings, Moscow is busy hosting rapprochement talks between Syria and Turkey, as well, with Iran also pledging to mediate in the same and everyone is angling for a foothold.
Yes, it has perhaps been made easier by a withdrawal of interest from Washington, as well as a cooling of relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, but the bottom line is that Assad is the ruler of Syria and attempts to overthrow him have failed. It also means that the Syrian opposition has just lost support, more or less, because the Arab League has conceded Assad's…
The Arab world has welcomed Syria back into the fold; specifically, by readmitting the Assad regime into the Arab League, from which it was evicted 12 years ago.
A lot is being read into this move, and from the Western perspective, the bulk of analysis hinges on the perception that the U.S. is losing ground in the Middle East. It is, of course, rather more complicated than that.
The Arab League's decision to readmit Assad after 12 years of war is not an expression of loyalty or commitment. Instead, it's an acknowledgment that Assad is here to stay, and it would be better to keep the lines of communication open with Syria, rather than isolating a regime surrounded by power actors from the Gulf to Iran, Russia, and Turkey. Everyone is vying for power and readmittance to the Arab club is a way to secure a modicum of control. While the Saudis are talking about restoring diplomatic ties with Syria and inviting Assad to Arab League meetings, Moscow is busy hosting rapprochement talks between Syria and Turkey, as well, with Iran also pledging to mediate in the same and everyone is angling for a foothold.
Yes, it has perhaps been made easier by a withdrawal of interest from Washington, as well as a cooling of relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, but the bottom line is that Assad is the ruler of Syria and attempts to overthrow him have failed. It also means that the Syrian opposition has just lost support, more or less, because the Arab League has conceded Assad's victory and the Saudis are even restoring diplomatic relations.
The Arab League is set to meet next week in Saudi Arabia, the beginning of a process that Arab leaders hope can lead to reforms within Syria.
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