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Tourists Return to an Ancient Crossroads in Syria (January 24, 2010)
New York Times by LIONEL BEEHNE,
In September, tourism in Syria was up by more than a third from the same month a year earlier, and the recent loosening of visa restrictions with Turkey means that Aleppo is being flooded with traders and tourists from across the border.
“The whole infrastructure of tourism is improving dramatically,” said Joshua Landis, an American professor and Mideast expert who runs a popular blog called …
BBC World Service (January 23, 2010)
Syria: the prospects for political change
A Double Agent, the CIA and al Qaeda (Jan 7, 2010)
NPR affiliate, KGRW of Southern California – Listen for 30 minutes
Host: Warren Olney
Guests:
- Greg Miller: National Security Correspondent, Los Angeles Times
- Michael Scheuer: former Chief, CIA’s Bin Laden Unit
- Brian Fishman: former Director of Research, West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center
- Joshua Landis: Professor of History, University of Oklahoma
National Public Radio’s Morning Addition. (January 9, 2010)
1. Tide Of Arab-Turk Tension Rises Amid Water Shortage by Deb Amos
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/23/content_12522184.htm
JERUSALEM, Nov. 22 (Xinhua)
“Israel believes it is justifiede Hezbollah is a terrorist organization,” said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
However, this could also work against Israel. Israeli flyovers could be used by Hezbollah and other resistance organizations as a justification for an escalation of tension, said Landis. The Lebanese government also sees the Israeli flyovers as a provocative act, he added.
Britain says Syria deal worth waiting for (28 Oct 2009)
Asia Times Online
by Sakhr Al-Makhadhi
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband insists that efforts to strengthen Europe’s ties with Syria are not on hold, as Damascus calls for a delay in signing a long-awaited association agreement. …..Syria expert Professor Joshua Landis says Damascus wants to be sure the agreement will be a partnership of equals. “Syria remains a country that is deeply distrustful of ‘imperialism’ and anything that reminds it of imperialism,” he said. “It does not like to make itself vulnerable to the West.”
Syria hardly to become tool for US to pressure on Iran (1 Oct. 2009)
Trend News Agency – Baku,Azerbaijan
… stabilize the situation in Iraq,” Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Joshua Landis, told Trend News over the telephone. …
Severe drought affects 1.3 million in Syria (18 Sept 2009)
Christian Science Monitor – USA
“It’s going to underline for the everyday person the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of the Syrian state,” says Joshua Landis, codirector of the University of Oklahoma’s Center for Middle East Studies….
Turkey’s role in Syrian detente with West crucial, experts say, (Sept 10, 2009)
Zaman, Turkey by Muhammet Minhac Çelik
…Joshua Landis, the co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies and an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, touched upon Turkey’s relationship with Syria when he said Syria values Turkey’s support over almost all other Middle Eastern countries. This gives Turkey considerable influence in Damascus. When Ankara asked Damascus to begin talks with Israel, Damascus complied, in part to strengthen its relations with Turkey.
Explaining the reasons behind Turkey’s influence in Syria, he emphasized Turkey’s role in Syria’s plans for economic growth. “Turks make up the largest number of foreign entrepreneurs in Syria. Syrian-Turkish trade doubled in three years to $2 billion in 2008,” added Landis.
He also raised the point that if the Kurdish initiative, recently launched by the government, is successful, reaching a sustainable and permanent solution to Turkey’s Kurdish question, the Turkish government’s success in forging a new, more equitable relationship between Turks and Kurds will surely influence Syria. If Turkey is successful in accommodating Kurds, it will help Syria do the same. In particular, it will pave the way for the Syrian government to offer the same to the 250,000 Kurds living in Syria.
“Assad is keenly aware of Turkey’s role in assisting Syria to break out of its isolation, grow its economy and improve its leverage within the Middle East and international community. The fact that the Syrian government gave up [jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah] Öcalan, ended its support for Kurdish militias fighting Turkey and tried to put the Hatay affair behind it, as well as opening up the border with Turkey to free trade and ease movement of people, is a very big turnaround. Syria has done all this despite Turkey’s very ambitious plans for Euphrates water, which hurts Syria,” said Landis when asked to explain the factors that were significant in improving Syrian-Turkish relations.
He also offered a personal anecdote, saying that when Syrian Ambassador to the US Imad Moustapha visited his university, he had responded to a question, saying, “Turkey, not Iran, is Syria’s best friend.”
NPR: Change for Syria? – listen July 24, 2009
Public Radio International – “The World” interview with Joshua Landis, ⋅
US special envoy George Mitchell will be in Syria soon. Anchor Katy Clark speaks with Syria expert, Joshua Landis, about the prospects for change in the Middle East. Landis is associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Analysis: How far is Syria ready to go to appease the US? (Jul 26, 2009)
By BRENDA GAZZAR in Jerusalem Post
….”This all indicates to me that there are still a lot of bones of contention between Syria and the US,” and even within the US administration on how to best deal with Syria, said Prof. Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma. “If you give Syria the Golan and Israel were to get peace with Syria, then Syria is free in a sense to carry out this 180 [degree turnabout],” Landis said. “It can dump Iran and do some damage to its allies because it’s getting something from America and Israel. But without that, why would Syria do a 180? What would it get from America?”
Iran Turmoil May Cost Hezbollah, Hamas Amid Retreat (July 21, 2009)
By Ben Holland and Massoud A. Derhally, (Bloomberg)
….The turmoil in Iran may help the U.S. improve relations with Syria, which has a defense cooperation agreement with Iran and has been a conduit for Iranian arms to Hezbollah, said Josh Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. …
Radio NPR talk show which airs in the Washington DC area: Kojo Nnamdi Show (July 9, 2009)
Democracy Building & Consensus in Lebanon
Guests:
Joshua Landis, Co-Director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma; Author of SyriaComment.com blog
Mona Yacoubian, Director, Lebanon Working Group, U.S. Institute of Peace
In recent elections, Lebanese voters sent a pro-Western majority to parliament, denying a challenge from the militant Hezbollah. We look at the challenges ahead for the newly-named Prime Minister Saad Hariri — son of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri — and look at the foreign powers like Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. are likely to play. Windows Media
Reports emerge of Syrian-Saudi summit (2 July 2009)
Daily Star – Lebanon – Beirut,Lebanon
Syria expert Joshua Landis, co-director of Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the founder of the popular Syria Comment Web …
US to Name Ambassador to Damascus after Four Years (24 June 2009)
Inter Press Service – Rome, Italy
… to hear,” said Oklahoma University professor Joshua Landis, who authors the widely-read Syria Comment blog and returned from a trip to Syria on Tuesday. …
Syria Seeks to Assert Importance in Middle East (Jul-22-2009) Weekend Edition – Saturday
NPR
…Syria Seeks to Assert Importance in Middle East. Much speculation has been aired about Syria’s role in the current Mideast crisis. Joshua Landis, a professor of history and Middle Eastern…
Syria And Iraq Revive Business Ties (24 June 2009)
NPR – USA
On the Iraqi side, consumer demand is high, says Joshua Landis, an American academic who writes an influential blog on Syria, SyriaComment.com. …
US Continues Charm Offensive With Syria (15 June 2009)
Wall Street Journal – USA
The Lebanon elections, though they went against Syria, may help pave the way for more productive talks with Washington, says Joshua Landis, co-director of …
POLITICS: Lebanon’s Election: An International Affair (11 June 2009)
Inter Press Service – Rome,Italy
“That will raise the probability of the US returning an Ambassador to Damascus in the near future,” wrote Syria expert Josh Landis, on his widely-read blog, …
Lebanon’s election surprise (9 June 2009)
The National – Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates
Joshua Landis considered what the election outcome will mean for policy. “Much depends on whether March 14 tries to rewrite Doha and get rid of the blocking …
Lebanon Election Victors Must Reach Terms With Beaten Hezbollah (9 June 2009)
Bloomberg – USA
Pursuing that goal, as Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush did, probably won’t advance the US cause in the region, said Josh Landis, director of the Center …
The audacity of hope, from Cairo (6 June 2009)
Asia Times Online
According to Joshua Landis, an American professor who is an expert on Syrian affairs, “Syria has long insisted that the US must treat Syria with a modicum …
Hezbollah Coalition May Win Lebanon Vote in Tilt Away From US (7 June 2009)
Bloomberg – USA
While Hezbollah has gained popularity by fighting Israel, a larger role in government could blunt its radicalism, said Josh Landis, director of the Center …
Syria’s Kilo pledges to continue struggle (2 June 2009)
Middle East Online – London,UK
… Kilo is particularly well placed to pressure the Assad regime where it hurts,” wrote Joshua Landis, an American scholar and Syria expert. …
VS kunnen Syrië niet losweken van Iran 12 May 2009
Mondiaal Magazine – Brussel, Belgium
… schreef professor Joshua Landis van de Universiteit van Oklahoma op zijn blog Syria Comment. “De Syriërs hoopten op een weggevertje van Obama. …
MIDEAST: US Thaw with Syria Hits Stumbling Blocks 11 May 2009
Inter Press Service, by Ali Gharib
…. both sides that progress is being made,” wrote Oklahoma University professor Joshua Landis on his blog, Syria Comment. …
Mending ties will take time by Sami Moubayed, 11 May 2009
GulfNews – Dubai,United Arab Emirates
US-based Syria expert Joshua Landis said at the time, “This is the clearest sign that negotiations between Damascus and Washington are going, if not badly, …
Financial Times – London 8 May 2009
“US renews sanctions against Syria,” by Ann Fifield
But Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at Oklahoma university, said that renewing the sanctions sent the wrong signal. “It was promulgated by the Bush White …
Press TV: The Middle East Today (05 May. 2009)
The Elusive Palestinian Statehood
Lebanon Votes May 2009
Syria Today – Syria
“Under the ‘Cedar Revolution’, under the Hariri March 14 Coalition, Lebanon was an instrument of George Bush’s attempt to destabilise Syria,” Joshua Landis, …
NPR Radio of Illinois, WILL-AM 580, Focus 580 with David Inge, Monday May 04, 2009
The Emergence of Syria and Other Current Developments in the Arab World
Interviews on global affairs and daily life, hour long talk show
Joshua M. Landis, Ph.D., Co-Director of the Center for Middle East Studies, and Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies in the School of International and Area Studies, University of Oklahoma
Edging in from the cold? Macleans, by Michael Petrou on Thursday, April 9, 2009
According to Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma, Obama is now engaging Syria because Bush’s …
The focus is on Syria, but the key is really Iran (March 09. 2009)
By Phil Sands, The National
…Syria’s ability to avoid making a stark choice will depend on US willingness to compromise with Iran, said Joshua Landis, a Syria specialist and director at the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
“Traditionally, the US has sought to weaken both Iran and Syria, to lock them out of regional security discussions and deny their importance,” he said.
“If the US learns to offer them security – that is, stop threatening to overturn their regimes – and to compromise with them, then there is hope for an accommodation of interests in the region that could dramatically reduce tensions and radicalism. Of course Iran and Syria would have to meet the US half way and change some of their behaviour as well.”
US Envoys Hold ‘Constructive’ Talks in Syria (07 March 2009)
By Edward Yeranian, Cairo, Voice of America
Professor Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma, who runs the well-known Syria Comment Web site, says that he envisions a resumption of military cooperation between the United States and Syria, soon, as well as talk of sending an ambassador to Damascus.
“There will be talk of an ambassador returning to Syria, shortly, and this lays the groundwork for it. We should also see some military exchanges and the beginnings of intelligence cooperation between the Americans and Syrians, particularly on Iraq border issues, and of course there will also be an attempt to get dialogue going on the Palestinian issue, because Syria can help a great deal with America’s Palestinian problem, which is how to get this aid that was raised at Sharm el Sheikh into Gaza,” he said.
Still Waiting for Change Syria Today, April 2009
“The Obama administration is not planning any revolutionary change in US policy toward the Middle East,” Joshua Landis, co-director of the University of …
Friends in Need (March 6, 2009)
By Joshua Landis, The National – Op-Ed
Syria’s economy is sinking. America needs friends in the Middle East. Josh Landis considers the possibility of renewed co-operation.
Financial Times (6 March 2009)
….“Thirty years ago, Syria was lagging behind but today the Syrian elite is sick and tired of that,” says Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. “Their hearts are not in the socialist struggle, their hearts are in getting the stock market up and running and getting rich.” Landis says Syria would not suddenly stop supporting Hamas and Hizbollah but a deal could be struck in which Damascus renounced support for Iraqi insurgents – now that the Obama administration has set a troop withdrawal timetable – in return for the lifting of US sanctions.
Chủ động đối thoại với Syrie để thúc đẩy tiến trình hòa bình tại … (4 March 2009)
Radio France Internationale – France
Tuy nhiên, theo ông Joshua Landis, chuyên gia Mỹ về hồ sơ Syrie, thì chính quyền Damas có thể lo ngại là Washington sẽ sử dụng lá bài đối thoại để kìm giữ …
America’s ‘New Path’ in the Middle East (3 March 2009)
“To the Point,” Public Radio International, nationally syndicated out of Los Angeles KCRW
The Obama Administration says it’s cutting a “new path” toward Middle East peace. With Israel and the Palestinians both divided among themselves, we hear about outreach to Syria, Turkey and even Iran.
U.S.-SYRIA: Washington Ends Its Diplomatic Embargo (3 March 2009)
By Jim Lobe March 3, 2009, IPS News
….”The demand that Syria abandon its supporters and friends before entering into full dialogue with the U.S. is no more likely to work under Obama than it did under (former President George W.) Bush,” wrote Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma on his much-read blog, Syria Comment, after the announcement.
Nonetheless, Landis hailed the decision as long overdue, noting that, even if engagement does not result in major changes in the strategic orientations of either Washington or Damascus, it can lead to “much greater stability in the region over the medium term” and “sustains hope among Arab leaders….
US-Syria Relations: Signals of a Thaw? (March 1, 2009)
Press TV – Iranian National Satellite TV
Hour interview show
US Overtures Could Force Syria Into Tough Choices (March 01, 2009)
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters
….Joshua Landis, a U.S.-based Syria expert, said the Syrians were wary of being sucked into renewed engagement with Washington without real gains, citing their experience with the administration of former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
“Syria has to worry that Obama will use the process to anaesthetise Syria and keep it on its best behaviour in Lebanon while he gets fruits out of the Palestinian issue, and then nothing will happen,” he said.
“They won’t get the Golan back and they will be in a weaker position.”
El senador John Kerry se entrevista con Bachar Al Asaad siguiendo 21/2/2009 …
elmundo.es – Madrid, Spain
Para Joshua Landis, autor del popular blog, ‘Syria Comment’, el hecho es que “Obama se está preparando para relacionarse seriamente con Siria y Siria, …
Relations with Syria meet US interests in Middle East
Trend News Agency – Baku,Azerbaijan
Head of the Middle East research center of the University of Oklahoma Joshua Landis thinks that The United States is keen to restore ties with Damascus as an …
US-SYRIA: Signs of a Thaw, But Differences Run Deep (Feb 17, 2009)
By Ali Gharib, (Inter Press Service)
“Obama is preparing for serious engagement with Syria,” said Oklahoma University professor Joshua Landis, who also writes the popular Syria Comment blog. “Obviously, Syria is trying to come in from the cold, but it’s not easy.”…
“The Lebanese lobby [in the U.S.] is up in arms,” Landis said about the potential thaw between Washington and Damascus. “Their stance is, ‘Okay, engage Syria. But make sure you have a laundry list of demands, all having to do with Lebanese sovereignty.’”…
“There are people who say that [Netanyahu] doesn’t mean what he says and that he’s the best choice for making peace with Syria,” said Landis. “He says he is happy to talk to Syrians, but not about land. And he says he is going to build settlement. …But Landis suggests the remote possibility that, just as Menachem Begin negotiated peace with Egypt by giving away the Sinai Peninsula, thereby deflecting criticism of the occupation of the West Bank, Netanyahu may be willing to cede the Golan to keep attention off Israel’s internal Palestinian problems…..”It raises the question of, ‘Can you get anything done?’” said Landis. “How much capital can you spend on [Syria] when you need every farthing you have to spend at home?”
“If Obama is going to carry out a revolution in the Middle East, God bless him. He’s got a lot of revolutions to carry out,” he added.
Signs Show Possible Thaw in US-Syrian Relations 17 February 2009
By Edward Yeranian, Voice of America – Radio and Print
….Professor Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma, who runs the well-known Syria Comment website thinks that there is an attitude of optimism in Damascus which reveals a sea-change in relations in recent weeks:
“The Syrian attitude towards Obama’s presidency is quite hopeful. They’re hoping for the best and, of course, they’re preparing for the worst, because Syria has had a lot of bad experiences with the United States and relations are always tough,” said Landis. …..
Joshua Landis concurs with Paul Salem that Syria has made major strides towards accommodating some long-standing U.S. demands of Syria, recently, but the professor believes that the United States is still looking for more changes in Syrian policies that irritate Washington. “There are a number of important things that the U.S. wants from Syria. First of all, it wants Lebanese sovereignty and elections in Lebanon are coming up. So, Syria hasn’t appointed its ambassador, yet. All this going on now is a bunch of confidence-building measures, because nobody trusts the other,” he said.
An age-old saying among Middle East analysts is that Syria will make peace “if the price is right.” Landis believes that the Syrian economy is badly in need of money, and removing American sanctions is part of Syria’s many demands of the United States for improving relations, and ultimately achieving peace with Israel:
“Economically, they need to get out of a very difficult situation. Now, of course, they haven’t been battered as much as many places. But, Syria has a very weak economy to begin with, so it doesn’t take very much to put it in serious trouble,” he said.
Landis argues that Washington has sent mixed signals to Damascus and that President Obama has been non-committal in lifting the many Bush-era economic sanctions imposed on Damascus since 2004. He says Senator Kerry’s visit and the sale of spare parts for two Syrian planes are being touted as exceptions, not the rule. Worst of all for Syria, he underlines, is the re-appointment of Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey, who he says is responsible for applying economic sanctions on Syria and other so-called “rogue states.” He says that is being viewed in Damascus as a clear “shot across Syria’s bow.”
Syria and the West: Enough of the Small Talk
Words Sarah Birke, Syria Today, Feb 2009 Issue
Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and author of the popular blog Syria Comment, 49 • syria today [February 09] said Sarkozy was the first to come to this pragmatic conclusion.
“By aligning France with the US in its attitude towards Syria, Chirac [former French President Jacques Chirac] effectively threw away France’s clout and pushed it out of the region,” he said. “Sarkozy has been extremely smart by packaging himself as an ally of Israel, but also bringing Syria back in. He has made France a key player.”….
Landis also sees a change in the way Syria projects its influence in the region. “Syria has been carving out a new role for itself,” he said. “It is still exerting influence in Lebanon, but under a different guise. Troops have been withdrawn, but Syria was heavily involved in the Doha Agreement leading to the end of the Lebanese deadlock.”….
Behind all of this, says Landis, are Damascus’ tortured relations with the US. Most observers agree that the political benefits of an AA far outweigh a rise in trade flows. For now, Syria is hoping the road to Paris and London will eventually lead to Washington.
“Syria knows there won’t be peace without the US and that it is a key factor in getting back the Golan,” Landis said. “Europe is an important ally, but the US is the prime mover in the region. As Syrians say, they now share a border with the US: Iraq.”…….
Britain was impressed by Syria’s indirect talks with Israel, its participation in the Doha Agreement leading to progress in Lebanon, and its efforts to stop insurgents crossing the Iraqi border,” Simon Collis, the British ambassador to Syria, said. “The EU countries felt this deserved recognition and as the presidency was with France, it took this policy forward.”….
All of which begs the question: is this is the first step on a road to permanently constructive relations with Europe and America, or a false dawn?
“It’s a hard question to answer,” Landis said. “Syria appears not to have made up its mind. There is evidence that it wants to be taken seriously by the West, and the US in particular, but at the same time it still has strong relationships with militant Islamists and Iran.”
Al-Akhbar – Claiming that Syria Comment printed denial that Hof would be ambassador
A setback for Turkey as Mideast broker February, 6, 2009
Christian Science Monitor By Yigal Schleife
Joshua Landis, codirector of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University and author of the “Syria Comment” blog, says that Ankara’s improved relations with Damascus have helped attenuate the link between Syria and Iran.
If Syria and the US were to start talking, Turkey could act as a “handmaiden,” Landis says.
“Turkey is going to help rehabilitate Syria. That is Erdogan’s entire strategy: ‘It’s not that we are siding with Syria and Iran against Israel. It’s that we are going to help Obama. We are the key to the Islamic world because we are the enlightened Muslims. We can be the crucial go-betweens,’ ” he says.
“There’s a lot of power to that argument.”
M. Obama ferme Guantanamo et réengage son pays au Proche-Orient (24 January 2008)
Le Monde by Corine Lesnes
Pour le professeur Joshua Landis, directeur du centre d’études du Moyen-Orient à l’université d’Oklahoma,« la stratégie de Bush depuis deux ans a été d’essayer d’affamer Gaza et de nourrir la Cisjordanie, dans l’espoir de conforter l’Autorité palestinienne. Cela n’a rien donné.Obamaa besoin de faire quelque chose de neuf ».
TURKEY: PM ERDOGAN’S CRITICISM OF ISRAEL COULD DAMAGE ANKARA’S … February 6, 2009
EurasiaNet – New York, NY, USA
Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University and author of the “Syria Comment” blog, says that Ankara’s improved …
Syria: Calling Gaza January 15, 2009
Global Voices Online – Cambridge,MA,USA
Syrian resident blogger Joshua Landis posts analysis on Palestine’s bleak future and Syria’s disappointment in Obama on his blog, Syria Comment…..
Does the road to peace lie through Syria? (January 13, 2009)
CBC News – Canada
Joshua Landis, co-director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, writes an influential blog on Syrian affairs and says Syria has formed a “community of interest” aimed at resisting Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights.
The players in this so-called community include Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran. Landis calls it “the essential dynamic” in understanding Syria’s approach to the challenges it faces in the region.
Iran Radio Interview (January 13, 2009)
Striking close to home (January 9, 2009)
Norman Transcript – Norman,OK,USA
The high number of civilian deaths has caused an outcry from countries around the world, said Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma. The United States Senate came out this week with a resolution supporting Israel’s actions, but Landis said the U.S. can only give Israel so much time before it has to give in to world opinion.
In Israel’s 2006 war against Lebanon, the U.S. supported Israel’s actions for a time but eventually international condemnation of the war won out after a few weeks. Several international cease-fire proposals have been set forth this week, and Landis said it won’t take too much longer for Israel to agree to one.
“I think it has to happen sometime soon,” he said. Israel is getting pressure from other countries, and Hamas is becoming increasingly desperate, he said.
“Hamas has been pulverized,” Landis said.
Does Syria Matter? (January 3 2009)
Moment Magazine – USA
Veteran Syria-watchers — Tom Dine, Martin Indyk, Joshua Landis, Moshe Ma’oz, Michael Oren, David Schenker and Andrew Tabler—weigh in on …
Joshua Landis, administrator of Syria Comment blog, professor of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, OKDoes Syria matter?
Syria has a crucial role to play in four major areas: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, because it houses Hamas and is the main Arab “spokescountry” for resistance to Israel; terrorism, because Syria uses Hezbollah, Hamas and other groups to fight for the Golan Heights; Iraq, because jihadists still go from North Africa and Saudi Arabia through Syria into Iraq; and Lebanon, where its influence has become very important to America over the past six years.Is peace possible?
Yes. Hafez Assad wanted to finish this deal in the 1990s when President Clinton led peace negotiations. He went to Geneva to meet with Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak, but, as Clinton writes in his memoir, Barak got cold feet. It was a few months before elections, and Barak didn’t think he could get Israel to give back the Golan Heights. As happened with Egypt in 1979, Israel didn’t want to give up the Sinai, but Jimmy Carter closed the deal by providing Israel with gobs of money. If there could be peace with Israel—and everybody in Damascus is talking about it, as is Syria’s ambassador to the U.S., Imad Moustapha—that would help lift the strict sanctions against Syria. America now has a chance to bring Syria away from anti-Western alliances that it has needed to fight the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Asma al-Assad: A mulher que destronou Carla Bruni e Michelle Obama (Dec., 21, 2008)
Público.pt – Lisboa, Portugal
“Os regimes autoritários têm de se modernizar para sobreviver, e a bonita, culta e secular Asma é um veículo para neutralizar críticas, sobretudo as externas”, afirmou à Pública, por telefone, Joshua Landis, co-director do Center for Middle East Studies da Universidade de Oklahoma e autor do influente blogue Syria Comment (http://joshualandis.com/blog/).…
SYRIA: Report says Britain hammers out Damascus intelligence agreement (19 Nov. 2008)
Los Angeles Times – CA, USA
One blogger, Joshua Landis, an American expert on Syria, wrote that the US refused a similar Syrian offer to combine efforts on intelligence matters when …
Britain revives its links to Syria (November 20, 2009)
The Australian – Sydney,Australia
A US expert on Syria, Joshua Landis, said the Miliband visit was “a message from the British to Obama”. “Like the French, they want the US to push …
Following Deadly US Attack on Syria, Questions of Bush Admin … (Nov. 3 2008)
Democracy Now – New York, NY, USA
We speak to Robert Dreyfuss of The Nation magazine and University of Oklahoma professor Joshua Landis. [includes rush transcript] Joshua Landis, Co-director …
Syria and `the law of the jungle’ (2 November 2008)
Toronto Star – Ontario, Canada
“When America attacked Iraq, the Syrians were very displeased,” says Joshua Landis, an authority on Syria. “They started supporting the opposition. …
Foreign Policy: The road to Damascus (10/31/2008)
Joshua Landis, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Oklahoma who is sympathetic to the Syrian regime, reported back in August that General Petraeus tried to visit Syria in December 2007. However, there are signs that Petraeus remains skeptical about Syria’s stated desire for cooperation. Landis reported that “there are real issues at the border,” and that Petraeus’s interest in going to Syria stemmed in part from a desire “to read Syria the riot act about compliance [on border security].”
Salon.com, Glenn Greenwald, “Someone should tell ABC News what “exclusive” means.” (10/30/2008)
Joshua Landis wrote on his blog, Syria Comment, about the U.S. bombing raid inside Syria, and said this….
Sounds of Dissent, Saturdays, WZBC-FM Radio, Greater Boston, (10/31/2008)
90.3 FM Boston Interview show.
PBS TV Amy Goodman: Democracy Now (Oct 30, 2008)
Also broadcast on Pacifica Radio
A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 700 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the U.S.
Following Deadly US Attack on Syria, Questions of Bush Admin Motives in its Waning Months
The Syrian government has condemned a deadly US military raid near the Iraqi border as “terrorist aggression.” The Bush administration has remained mum, stoking fears it could be trying to provoke further conflict in its remaining months in office. We speak to Robert Dreyfuss of The Nation magazine and University of Oklahoma professor Joshua Landis.
Syria- Winter Thaw? (Oct 30, 2008)
Middle East North Africa Financial Network – Amman, Jordan
Norman Transcript – Norman, OK, USA
Joshua Landis, an expert on the Middle East and Syria specifically, said the two candidates’ foreign policies diverge greatly in the area of the Middle East …
Socialist Worker Online – Chicago, IL, USA
As Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies, pointed out in a statement, “Syria has been improving border compliance steadily. …
MARK MACKINNON, Globe and Mail
….“Syria has its hands tied behind its back. It can’t allow its anger to rule this moment,” said Joshua Landis, co-director of the Centre for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma and editor of the syriacomment.com website. “In the past, clearly, the [U.S.] military in Iraq would have been very anxious about what Syria could do in retaliation.”
Caravan CKUT 90.3 fm (29 Oct. 2008)
www.ckut.ca – Half hour talk show
Syria monitoring US, Israeli elections (October 29, 2008)
Jerusalem Post – Israel By BRENDA GAZZAR
Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma. “They believe he will get out of Iraq sooner and give …
The World: Public Radio Internation – Co production BBC and NPR (27 Oct. 2008)
Link to PRI interview with Landis on Syria Raid
Surging Into Syria: American Incursion Opens New Front in Quagmire (27 Oct. 2008)
The Baltimore Chronicle – Baltimore,MD,USA
… Joshua Landis, an American expert on Syria, commented last night: “The Bush administration must assume that an Obama victory will force …
Chicago Public Radio
Worldview 10/28/2008
Blogger/professor Joshua Landis explains the implications of the U.S. Special Forces raid in Syria.
US Military Forces Attack Syrian Village, Killing Eight (27 Oct. 2008)
CounterCurrents.org – India
According to Syria expert and University of Oklahoma Professor Joshua Landis: “Both the State Department and DOD [Department of Defense] have consistently …
US attack on Syria has many baffled (27 Oct. 2008)
Menassat – Beirut,Lebanon
Josh Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, wrote on his blog Syria Comment that “with the raid, …
The strike that shattered US-Syria ties (27 Oct. 2008)
Asia Times Online – Kowloon,Hong Kong
Syria specialist Joshua Landis wrote that the attack “was probably constructed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and not [Vice President Dick] Cheney’s office. …
BBC World service (27 Oct. 2008)
Interview with Anthony Cordesman
BBC Channel 4 (27 Oct. 2008)
The Conversation With Ross Reynolds (27 Oct. 2008)
KUOW 94.9 Puget Sound Public Radio
Conversation20081027.mp3 podcast
More on Syria Raid (27 October 2008)
Agoravox – Paris, France
Joshua Landis at Syria Comment carries an account from a physician of the killed and wounded that casts doubt on the US military story that the workers ….
SYRIA: What’s behind U.S. raid? (27 October 2008)
LA Times Blogs, Babylon and Beyond by Borzou Daragahi in Beirut
Joshua Landis at Syria Comment says the attack “seems to fit into a broader pattern of the Bush administration initiating cross border attacks into countries that it is not officially at war with,” including Pakistan.
He speculates that White House officials angry at Syria “may assume that [they] can have a ‘freebie’ ” striking at an old adversary knowing that it will nonethless remain on its best behavior to impress the next U.S. administration.
US forces kill eight in helicopter raid on Syria (27 October 2008)
The Guardian By Ian Black and Ewen MacAskill
… Joshua Landis, an American expert on Syria, commented last night: “The Bush administration must assume that an Obama victory will force Syria to behave nicely in order to win favour with the new administration. Thus White House analysts may assume that it can have a “freebee” – taking a bit of personal revenge on Syria without the US paying a price.”
Did We Just Strike Syria? (26 Oct 2008)
Atlantic: The Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan
Joshua Landis at Syria Comment on the US allegedly launching a helicopter attack inside the country from Iraq:
… [Syria] has refused to restart intelligence sharing with the US, which was broken off following the deterioration of relations in 2005. Petraeus sought to go to Damascus in December 2007 to restart intelligence sharing, but was forbidden from doing so by the White House.
Syria has been eager to restart intelligence sharing which would help to reduce cross border violations, but it demands a price – that the US recognize Syria’s assistance by returning an ambassador to Damascus. The White House has refused to do this, preferring to use sticks to force Syrian compliance. One must presume that the most recent killing of Syrians is designed to be just such a stick…..
Syria envoy: Future generations will pay if Israel scuttles peace talks (22/10/2008)
Haaretz
…..”If the Israelis are merely interested in the ‘process’ and not the ‘peace’, they will ultimately be held accountable… Future Israeli and Arab generations will pay a dear price for this shortsightedness and obstinacy,” Ambassador Imad Moustapha said in an interview with the Syria Comment Web site….
Assafir newspaper (22/10/2008)
عماد مصطفى: استراتيجية عربية أشمل ستحكم أي »علاقـة طويلـة« مع إسرائيل
Danger lies in ties with Kurdish opposition (3 October 2008)
By Michael Howie in Scotsman
AN EXPERT on Syrian politics believes any links Jojo Yakob has with Kurdish opposition parties could land him in bigger trouble than his homosexuality if he is returned to his home country. He claims Mr Yakob could be arrested for any ties he might have with Kurdish groups.Joshua Landis, the co-director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said: “They will be watching him like a hawk.”
Experts doubt Syria has resumed nuke activity (
Syria Talks Spur Speculation: Jim Lobe (1 October 2008)
By Jim Lobe, Antiwar.com
…. “It’s clearly time for a rethink of [Syria] policy, and I think Rice and others in the administration are trying to shepherd it forward,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria specialist at the University of Oklahoma who publishes the widely read Syria Comment blog. “Rice is definitely open to it – and the whole Department of Defense has been kicking for this for a long time – but she can’t get it past the White House.”….
Syria’s unlikely shepherd (1 Oct 2008)
Asia Times
…”With its Lebanon policy a shambles and its efforts to isolate Syria defied by France, Turkey, and Israel itself, it really doesn’t make sense for the White House to continue stiffing the Syrians,” said Landis. “It’s really just pure stubbornness at this point.” …
Syria’s intelligence community again hit by major car bomb (29 Sept. 2008)
World Tribune – USA
“Two theories are developing on little evidence so far,” Josh Landis, a leading American analyst on Syria, said. “One is that the bombers were targeting Shi’ites. So far we don’t know what the truth is…..”
Going for Broke (September 2008)
By Ian Munroe, Trends Magazine.
….“There are two trends. One’s a slow liberalization of the economy,” says Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and the creator of Syria Comment, a popular website that covers current events there. “Number two is a Western attempt to isolate Syria, and to strangle it economically…”
Car bomb near Syrian security base kills 17 (27 Sept. 2008)
Reuters by Marwan Mekdessi
…“The attack is very disturbing. It’s scary because it reminds every Syrian of the late 1970s and early 1980s when the radical wing of the Muslim Brotherhood was blowing everyone up,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at Oklahoma University…
US may join the peace talks in Turkey (1 Sept. 2008)
By Sami Moubayed, Gulf News
… Everybody is worried about progress on the indirect Syrian-Israeli talks, currently underway in Turkey. According to Syria commentator, Joshua Landis, they have either reached a breakthrough, or a dead end. …
Damascus emerges from isolation (30 August 2008)
Middle East Economic Digest, James Gavin
After being abandoned by its Arab allies and economically isolated by US sanctions, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has made a remarkable comeback in recent months…. “On one side, Israel is seeing what it can do to isolate Iran, and to find out to what extent Syria will move against Hezbollah,” says Joshua Landis, …
Former Aipac Head Leads Push for American-Syrian Rapprochement (28 August 2008)
Forward –
Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, offers another explanation: “Syria wanted to use Dine to open up doors in Washington, and he was supposed to get a meeting between Daoudi and Welch but could not deliver.”
To Landis, the administration’s backtracking on the Welch meeting suggests that “Washington is not ready to become a part of the discussion, which means that the Israel-Syria talks will not be able to reach a decisive phase.”
Syria, Iran warm to Russia as US tensions grow (27 August 2008)
The Associated Press – Sam Ghattas
“The Russian move into Georgia has begun a tectonic shift in the (Mideast) region,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert in the United States. “It has emboldened Syria, Hezbollah and Iran to push harder against Israel and the U.S.”
Analysis: Shifting Middle East alliances (25 August 2008)
United Press International, By CLAUDE SALHANI, UPI Contributing Editor
Russia’s aggressive response in Georgia has unleashed what Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle East Studies and a specialist on Syrian …
Russian embrace of Syria tightens, but for what purpose? (24 August 2008)
Ha’aretz – By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and Agencies
Syria expert Joshua Landis wrote in his blog Syriacomment.com that “Syria’s bad negotiating position is leading it to look for more weapons and to try to grow more teeth before returning to the table with Israel,” adding, “Both Assad and Hezbollah are hoping to get new weapons systems from Russia and greater diplomatic backing.” But despite the preoccupation with weapons, he asserts that all eyes are on the peace process.
Al-Jazeera English Interviewwith Joshua Landis (20 Aug. 2008)
President Bashar al-Assad visits Russia
Assessing stability in Syria (20 Aug. 2008)
ISN – Zurich,Switzerland
Ben Judah is a correspondent for ISN Security Watch
Syrian political expert Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma argues that most western understandings of Syria are still very caricatured. …
Middle East expert Joshua Landis sees U.S. policy in the region at a “crossroads.”
Interview by Daniel Luban
Right Web| Posted August 12, 2008
Landis … describes the Syrian regime as making an unprecedented push to normalize relations with the West. But neoconservative hardliners in Washington continue to resist any engagement with Syria, presenting the possibility that this window of opportunity will be lost…..
Syria is engaging in a major charm offensive. And significantly, they’ve been courting people like [former American Israel Public Affairs Committee president] Thomas Dine to help set up meetings in Washington. This is new! For Syria to reach out to the Israelis not just through the negotiations in Ankara but through the Jewish community in the United States is a potential game-changer in many ways….
‘Murdered Syrian officer knew too much’ (4 Aug. 2008)
Jerusalem Post – Israel
But Syrian expert Joshua Landis, the co-director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said he doubts the veracity of many …
The Syrian bride (31 July 2008)
Ha’aretz – Tel Aviv, Israel
Joshua Landis, editor of the daily news roundup SyriaComment.com, which is read by many Syrian expatriates in the United States, says that Asma Assad is the …
Syrians applaud Bashar’s Paris trip (July 15, 2008)
By Sami Moubayed, GulfNews
Joshua Landis, an expert on Syrian affairs who runs the much-read blog in Washington DC, Syriacomment, told Gulf News: “President Assad’s Lebanon policy has been vindicated. Three years ago, Chirac said Assad didn’t understand the ‘new Middle East.’ Today, Sarkozy is stating, in effect, that Chirac was wrong.”
BBC International News Radio broadcast (July 14, 2008)
Can Syria avoid sanctions with a UN nuclear inspection? (25 June 2008)
Christian Science Monitor – By Julien Barnes-Dacey
“What’s driving Syria right now is an anxiety about becoming a pariah,” says Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. …”Iran can afford to thumb their nose at the West because they have so much money coming in from oil that will help insulate them from sanctioning,” says Mr. Landis. “Syria doesn’t have a cushion like that.”
Syrian leaders in upbeat mood despite IAEA visit (20 June 2008)
Reuters by Alistair Lyon, Beirut
Syria, whose troops left Lebanon in 2005, was delighted by last month’s Qatari-brokered deal among rival Lebanese leaders which translated a military victory won by Hezbollah and other Syrian allies against U.S.-backed factions into political gains.
“The Syrians were thrilled to see them wiping away the facade of U.S. power,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at Oklahoma University. “It was clearly very sobering for the Americans, who are trying to figure out where to go from here.”
Thaw Between Syria and Israel Puts Hezbollah on Front Burner (19 June 2008)
By Nathan Guttman in the Forward – New York, NY, USA
“Syria is bending over backward right now to be accommodating to Israel and France by pushing Hamas to compromise and by pushing the Lebanese opposition to moderate their demands,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria scholar at Oklahoma University. Syria and Israel are finding common ground on the issue of Hezbollah, Landis added, but while Israel would like Damascus to break altogether with the terrorist group, Syria believes it can encourage Hezbollah to focus on politics.
Gulf States Newsletter: Independent Analysis and Political Risk (13 June 2008)
ISSN 0953-5411 Volume 32 • Issue 831
…. Respected Syria watcher Joshua Landis, author of the blog Syria Comment, had this to say:“For two years we have been hearing stories that the Assad family is at daggers drawn and ready to kill one another. Never were they true in the past … [But] we have not seen any sign of Asef Shawkat in months. Also, several people I trust tell me that Asef is no longer the head of military intelligence – at least that part of the story seems true.”
Upbeat in Syria (June 6th 2008)
Economist Intelligence Unit
Why President Bashar Assad is feeling cock-a-hoop
…..Mr Assad said that when the Doha talks seemed to be on the brink of collapse, the ruler of Qatar called on Syria to provide some suggestions. “The ideas we provided were the exact same ideas we provided the French last year when they were mediating”, Mr Assad said, according to a transcript provided on the Syria Comment blog. “However, the French then did not comprehend or did not implement the ideas correctly.” He attributed this failing on the part of the French government to the mistaken assumption that Syria could speak and act on behalf of its allies in Lebanon, whereas in fact Syria was merely interested in furnishing practical solutions…..
Syria Defiant on Ties With Iran 5 June 2008
Institute for War and Peace Reporting – London, England
Joshua Landis, co-director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at Oklahoma University, said the new agreement “clearly complicates” the peace process, but would not jeopardise the negotiations.
“The only reason that Israel is talking to Syria today is because Syria is Iran’s ally,” he said. “Israel is talking peace because they’re frightened of Syria, they’re frightened of Hezbollah and they’re frightened of Iran.”
Landis said that apart from a desire to curb ties between Damascus and Tehran, Israel was also interested in talking to the Syrians about securing its northern borders with Lebanon from attack by the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. He also noted that Israel wants the Syrians to reduce their support for the Palestinian group Hamas.
If Syria can deliver on some of these demands and make the Israelis feel more secure, Tel Aviv might be willing to back down on the issue of ties with Iran.
Analysts note that the security pact is a continuation of the long-established Iranian-Syrian axis and therefore cannot have come as a surprise to either Israel or the US.
The alliance took off in 1980, when Syria backed Iran against Iraq when those two countries embarked on their eight-year war.
Landis predicted that Syria would maintain a strong relationship with Iran as it continued to be isolated internationally. “As long as everyone is trying to boycott Syria and isolate it, it’s going to keep its friends,” Landis said. “And Iran is a friend.”
International News Net July 02, 2008 (More info)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SobF5tg0MmI
Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Sunday edition. Aug. 20, 2006: Half hour talk show on
Here is note from producer. —–Original Message—– From: Jane Farrow [mailto:Jane_Farrow@CBC.CA]
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 6:37 PM
To: Landis, Joshua M.
Subject: RE: CBC interview again?
joshua, well, you did fantastic. the interview was wonderful. lots of great response to it, I am so happy it all turned out so well. you and Afshin have great rapport together… I hope we can do something wiht you again soon…. you are ‘radio paydirt’ (a great yakker) and really interesting material. Jane Jane Farrow, producer The Sunday Edition, CBC Radio One Ph: 416-205-2606
On the sidelines of a cease-fire, an increasingly defiant Syria Christian Science Monitor – Boston, MA, USA …
“In essence, what we see going on in Lebanon is a classic struggle for an important sphere of influence,” says Joshua Landis, a historian of Syria and director … Texas Radio talk in show – August 25, 2006
Who won and who lost in Lebanon? New Anatolian – Ankara, Turkey … Salhani have a different approach: “Assad’s message, according to a Syrian blogger identified only as ‘Fadi’ and posted on Joshua Landis’Syriacomment.com, was …
BBC World News Tonight – August 30, 2006 Explaining what Kofi Anan is doing during his visits to Lebanon, Israel and Syria
Bordering on Chaos August 31, 2006 Council on Foreign Relations – New York, New York, USA … Syria, as Joshua Landistells CFR.org’s Bernard Gwertzman, has forged a new dialogue and repaired relations after two decades of mutual distrust. …
Iraq’s Meddlesome Neighbors August 31, 2006 Council on Foreign Relations – New York,New York,USA …
Joshua Landis, an independent expert on Syria, emphasizes on his blog SyriaComment.com that Syria is neither Sunni nor Baathist but Alawite, an offshoot of … Julian Marshall interviews Joshua Landis September 1, 2006
A Divide Deepens in Arab World, LA Times, July 17, 2006
By Kim Murphy
…They have promised, ‘America will protect us if we stand against Syria,’ ” said Joshua Landis, a Middle East expert and professor at the University of Oklahoma. Now Israel is “blowing the hell out of them, and America isn’t taking one step to protect them,” Landis said. “The whole Arab world is going to look and see that Hariri has been sacrificed on the altar of Israeli power. For the Arabs, this just rips the face of democracy right off.”
Crisis May Put Syria Back in Political Mix, LA Times, July 18, 2006
Kim Murphy
…Damascus, urged by the U.S. to use its influence to help end the conflict, appears eager to reassert its claim to be a regional power broker. But the upshot is that Washington has been left in the current crisis with fewer negotiating levers, said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria and a professor at the University of Oklahoma. The Syrians are “playing a very dangerous game. But until the first bomb starts falling on Damascus, everything’s going Syria’s way,” Landis said. Syria backed Hamas when it was a fledgling Islamic resistance movement, only to see it triumph at the polls this spring and take over the Palestinian government, he said. “Last week when all hell broke loose in Gaza, the [Palestinian administration] was sending negotiators to Damascus to try to get the release of this [captured] Israeli young man,” Landis said. “A year ago, those people would all have been sent to Cairo. “Now Egypt has been replaced by Syria as the major broker in the Arab-Israeli conflict,” he added. “Bashar has outfoxed them.”
Analyzing the Syria-Hezbollah connection, National Public Radio, July 19, 2006
Marketplace – Los Angeles,CA,USA
Host Kai Ryssdal talks with Joshua Landis, who studies Syrian politics and economy at the University of Oklahoma. Host …
JOSHUA LANDIS: Syria’s benefit of having Hezbollah is it gives them a front on the Arab-Israeli conflict and in the last year what we’ve see is that Syria has come up holding all the cards on the Arab-Israeli conflict. A year ago they had almost no cards, but Syria hung onto Hamas and the more radical Palestinian groups as America put pressure on Syria as America said you’ve got to kick these guys out, we want to eliminate them. But what happened is that Hamas won the elections in Israel last year and become the Palestinian Authority. So Bashar was proven a very smart calculator and his investment paid off in spades…Syrian President May Hold Key To Mideast Crisis
As Diplomatic Steps Begin, Assad’s Choices Could Fan Or Defuse Regional Violence, Wall Street Journal, July 18, 2006By KARBY LEGGETT in Jerusalem, MARIAM FAM in Damascus, Syria and NEIL KING JR. in Washington, Page A1…some analysts have begun speculating that the U.S. may seek to throw Syria a lifeline. Under one scenario, the U.S. would end Syria’s international isolation and possibly offer it some kind of aid package, in return for cutting ties with> Iran and ending support for Hezbollah and Hamas. “There is no military solution to the current problem, unless you kill every single Hezbollah and Hamas member. So reality for the U.S. is there is no end game unless you sit down and talk with the bad guys,” says Joshua Landis, a professor at Oklahoma University and a expert on Syria politics. “And so the choice is between Damascus or Tehran.”.In Syria, Providing a Voice for Moderate Islam
NPR
by Deborah Amos
Morning Edition, August 3, 2005 · Syria remains a secular country but the capital is showing signs of transformation. Slighted political parties that call for Islamic modernism and the advancement of technology are only a few of the changes. Landis says the Muslim Brotherhood declared Alawites apostates, non-Muslims, in the 1980s, a position they have not officially changed. ..
Open Democracy – London,UK
In an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, Syria expert Joshua Landis said that the return of the Golan Heights in exchange for Syria’s ending …Can a Syrian-Israeli Peace Agreement Be Reached? May 22, 2008
Council on Foreign Relations
By Joshua Landis
Interviewer: Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor“We have to be highly suspicious of this kind of news,” said Syria expert Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma. “It’s a Saudi paper; it has an extremely anti-Syrian view… It’s not reliable in that sense. They may be getting this from the Syrian opposition or from the Lebanese….Joshua Landis, who writes the blog Syria Comment and is regarded as a leading Syria specialist, says a prospective Syria-Israel peace agreement is “very feasible” but is skeptical whether it can be achieved quickly. For there to be a deal, Landis says, Israel would have to return all of the Golan Heights, and Syria would have to rein in Hezbollah and stop aiding Hamas. Landis adds that it will be a “bitter pill” for Syria to stop supporting militant Palestinian groups….
Something happening in Damascus? 14 April 2008
Middle East Times – Editorial – Cairo, Egypt
Professor Joshua Landis’ respected and usually well informed blog site, Syria Comment, has published the following, part of what he calls an “intelligence …Syria risks more isolation over Lebanon 1 April 2008
Reuters South Africa – Johannesburg, South Africa“Tough times are ahead for Syria,” Joshua Landis, a Syria specialist at the University of Oklahoma, told Reuters. “Syria thinks it can persevere another year and then it will be a new day. But the U.S. Treasury is laying landmines that Syria will find it difficult to negotiate,” he added.
Landis said Syria could find it tougher to play for time as Washington already expanded sanctions on Damascus and Arab states siding with Lebanon’s government showed no willingness to welcome Syria back to what they regard as the Arab mainstream.
News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: 1 April 2008
The Moderate Voice – USAJoshua Landis, an expert on Syrian politics, writes that Israel is not serious about pursuing a peace agreement with Syria, despite the recent rumors. …
Mideast rift upstages Arab League summit 28 March 2008
Christian Science Monitor – By Julien Barnes-Dacey, Boston,MA,USA“Syria thinks that being stubborn will pay off and that the US effort in Lebanon will collapse,” says Joshua Landis, a Syrian expert at the University of Oklahoma.
He compares the situation to the long Lebanese civil war in the 1980s. After the Americans and other regional players withdrew, Syria was the last country standing. …
Arab Leaders, Angry at Syrian President, Threaten Boycott of … 8 March 2008
New York Times – by Robert Worth, United States“I think Syria has taken its position: they need to make sure that Lebanon cannot be used against them,” said Prof. Joshua M. Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. Its strategy, he added, is based in large part on countering the enormous financial power of Saudi Arabia and its allies.
“This is Syria’s game: keep Lebanon paralyzed, and Saudi has to subsidize everything,” Professor Landis said. “That’s going to take billions of dollars, and where does it end? Syria thinks they can outlast them.”
US Takes Aim at Shadowy Syrian Businessman 26 February 2008
Forward – New York, NY,USA“There will undoubtedly be many Syrians who take some satisfaction from this move, but many will also be anxious because the U.S. has penetrated a new level of sovereignty,” said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syrian who teaches at the University of Oklahoma. “This is a big blow to Syria, and means an entirely new level of bad blood between the two countries,” Landis said.
Sanctions on Businessman Target Syria’s Inner Sanctum 22 Febrary 2008
U.S. Action Alleges Corruption
By Robin Wright
Washington Post 2008; A18“Once you hit Rami Makhluf, you’re at war with Syria,” said Joshua M. Landis, a former Fulbright scholar in Syria who teaches at the University of Oklahoma. “When you sanction Rami Makhluf, you’re also sanctioning all the people who deal with him, including the wealthiest and most powerful people in the country.”
“A lot of people think of Makhluf as a highway robber, and in some ways he is. But he is also one of the few people who can work through the system to get things done,” said Landis, referring to Rami Makhluf. “All kinds of banks and people and foreign investors who want to join in Syria’s development are going to think twice and think ‘What’s going to happen to me?’
Banning Facebook in Syria (18 February 2008)
BBC Arabic Radio
BY Louay Ismail
Part 1 (Landis speaks Arabic)
Part 2Hezbollah Commander, Wanted by US, Killed in Syria 13 February 2008
Bloomberg – USA“There seems to be a steady attempt to push Syria, and right now the United States and the West has very little leverage over Syria, and I think this is frustrating everybody in Washington as they see Syria asserting its authority in Lebanon,” said Josh Landis, a specialist on Syria and director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma. “They’ve run out of tools and the only thing Bush can say now is that he’s going to get a fully funded investigation” into Hariri’s assassination.
Killing of top Hezbollah operative may be costly for Syria, 14 February 2008
By HAMZA HENDAWI, Herald Tribuneal-Qaida has not made a concerted effort to act in Syria, not because of the strength of its security services, but because of Damascus’ anti-Western stance, according to Syria expert Joshua Landis.
“It’s not just because the police are good. Syria’s been given a pass by al-Qaida and others because of its anti-American position, but Americans and the West don’t want to admit that because they don’t want to admit that there’s a cause and effect,” said Landis, director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He also maintains a widely read blog on Syria.
Al-Jazeera – English TV: 13 Febraury 2008
Evening News: 5 minute clip about the Mughniyah assassination.Your enemy’s enemies: Lebanon and Syria still have common cause 11 February 2008by Taylor Long, NOW, LebanonDr. Joshua Landis, a Syrian specialist at the University of Oklahoma and the publisher of “Syria Comment,” agreed that Jumblatt has served in recent years as “the spearhead of the Syrian-Lebanese opposition nexus.”Landis’s logic is that March 14 had been strategic about its detachment. “The Syrian opposition is extremely weak and vulnerable,” he pointed out. “Anyone responsible knows that to freight opposition figures with too much responsibility is to send them to prison.” The US has reportedly tried to mobilize the Syrian opposition through the International Republican Institute (IRI), much as it did in 2004 and 2005 during Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. Those who met with IRI representatives, however, were subsequently interrogated by the Syrian authorities, and several were expelled from the country. March 14 leaders like Saad Hariri, it seems, did not want to make the same mistake. “If Hariri reaches out to Syrian opposition people, they will be arrested and imprisoned,” said Landis. “Many Syrians would blame Hariri and not their own government for their arrest. Perhaps only Jumblatt is willing to go down this road. He has nothing to lose with Syria.”
Landis’s logic is that March 14 had been strategic about its detachment. “The Syrian opposition is extremely weak and vulnerable,” he pointed out. “Anyone responsible knows that to freight opposition figures with too much responsibility is to send them to prison.” The US has reportedly tried to mobilize the Syrian opposition through the International Republican Institute (IRI), much as it did in 2004 and 2005 during Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. Those who met with IRI representatives, however, were subsequently interrogated by the Syrian authorities, and several were expelled from the country. March 14 leaders like Saad Hariri, it seems, did not want to make the same mistake. “If Hariri reaches out to Syrian opposition people, they will be arrested and imprisoned,” said Landis. “Many Syrians would blame Hariri and not their own government for their arrest. Perhaps only Jumblatt is willing to go down this road. He has nothing to lose with Syria.”
Once-Socialist Damascus Displays New Wealth, Glitz February 6, 2008
by Deborah Amos on NPR’s “All things Considered”
Listen Now [5 min 9 sec]Josh Landis, an American academic who specializes in Syria, says China is Syria’s model: Keep a tight lid on political opposition, open the economy and try to manage the growing income gap. “The big question for the Syrian government is, can it keep a lid on it? Can they get the trickledown fast enough so that people don’t give up hope, so the rising expectations don’t explode in their hands?” Landis says.
US Officials To Meet With Arch Foes – Iran and Syria December 11, 2007
Infolive.tv – Jerusalem,IsraelJoshua Landis, a leading Syria expert, who publishes “Syria Comment” was quoted in a recent article saying, ” Syria is key to the peace process. If you keep the door closed on Syria, many people believe the peace process can go nowhere.” Syrians he said are willing to do a deal, despite Iran’s objections….
Is the Syria-Iran Alliance Beginning to Crack? December 11, 2007
theTrumpet.com – Edmond,OK,USAJoshua Landis, a Syria specialist at the University of Oklahoma, said this week that the leadership crisis in Lebanon may have been one reason Syria chose …
Landis: Syria Key to Middle East Peace Process December 4, 2007
Council on Foreign Relations – New York, NY, USA
Interview with Bernard GwertzmanJoshua Landis, a leading Syria expert, who publishes “Syria Comment,” says Syria’s surprise attendance at last week’s Annapolis peace conference came after …
Is the U.S. now ready for talks with Syria? December 3, 2007
Christian Science Monitor by Nicholas Blanford“Syria is being brought back in, including by Washington, and Syria is trying to dress itself up and get on Israel’s dance card” to get the Golan Heights back, says Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, and author of the widely read “Syria Comment” blog. …
Deal signals a thaw in US-Syrian relations Nov. 28, 2007
Globe and Mail – CanadaJoshua Landis, co-director of the Centre for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma and a Syria expert, said that the sudden acceptance by all sides of …
Syria upbeat on chance to reopen Golan issue Nov. 27, 2007
Reuters – USAJoshua Landis, a Syria specialist at the University of Oklahoma, said Syria had shown flexibility by attending the Annapolis conference. …
Landis on the BBC World Service Newshour November 26th, 2007
Explaining why Syria is going to Annapolis
The Radio clip is about 4 minutes long: Syria to attend peace conferenceSyria has accepted an invitation by the USA to attend the Middle East conference in Annapolis. Syria said it would only take part if the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights was discussed. So why the change? Joshua Landis is the director of the Centre for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma.Syrian envoy decries lack of diplomacy October 20, 2007
NewsOK.com (subscription) – Oklahoma City,OK,USAAP Video Syrian ambassador Imad Moustapha (right), joins a panel discussion Wednesday with University of Oklahoma faculty Josh LandisSyrian ambassador denies nuclear arms ambitions Oct. 18, 2007
Tuttle Times – Tuttle,OK,USA“US-Syrian Relations: Cooperation or Conflict” was moderated by Dr. Joshua Landis, co-director for the Center for Peace Studies, and Dr. Zach P. Messitte, …SYRIA: Rights Groups Fly By Ever Darker Night Oct. 18, 2007
IPS – Italy“They never had any legal NGOs [non-government organisations]“, commented Joshua Landis, the co-director of the University of Oklahoma’s Centre for Peace …Syria: internal politics after the re-election of Bashar Assad Sept. 26, 2007
Equilibri.net (subscription) – ItalyCertainly, as is confirmed by Joshua Landis, analyst and expert in Syrian affairs that “Syrians have still not completely accepted this regime” and much …Sol Salbe: Israel’s Syria Incursion Sept. 22, 2007
Scoop.co.nz – New ZealandLarry Derfner touched on the subject in a Jerusalem Post column (reproduced in Josh Landis Blog): “For once, Israelis seem to believe that Syria is telling …Shots in the dark over Syria’s skies Sept. 21, 2007
Asia Times Online by Sami MoubayedJoshua Landis, a professor at Oklahoma University who is an expert on Syrian affairs and runs Syriacomment.com, said: “Bolton represents the crowd that is …
Stewart Ain And Larry Cohler Esses, Sept. 20, 2007
Jewish Week byIn fact, University of Oklahoma Syria specialist Joshua Landis says everything he knows about Syria tells him war remains highly unlikely. …
Neocons Tie N. Korea to Israeli Strike on Syria Sept. 19, 2007
International Press Service, by Khody Akhavi“Bolton represents the crowd that is very distressed that the U.S. has declared defeat in North Korea by trusting the North Koreans. They would like to scuttle that agreement,” wrote Syria expert Josh Landis, on his widely-read blog, www.syriacomment.com.”While doing it, anything they can dredge up to boost the notion of weapons transfers between Korea and Syria and Iran will be icing on the cake. Israeli planes were trying to get the goods,” he wrote.
“Bolton represents the crowd that is very distressed that the U.S. has declared defeat in North Korea by trusting the North Koreans. They would like to scuttle that agreement,” wrote Syria expert Josh Landis, on his widely-read blog, www.syriacomment.com.
“While doing it, anything they can dredge up to boost the notion of weapons transfers between Korea and Syria and Iran will be icing on the cake. Israeli planes were trying to get the goods,” he wrote.
Jordan, Syria Reach Their Limit of Iraqi Refugees Sept. 17, 2007
The Globe and Mail, By Mark McKinnon – Canada… horrors kept a lid on sectarian violence – Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and part-time resident of Damascus who teaches at the University of Oklahoma, …
Did Israel Destroy Iranian-Syrian Missile Production Facilities? Sept. 14, 2007
Iran Press Service – Paris,France… could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons”, Joshua Landis, the author of the interesting blog “Syria Comment”, reported on Thursday. …
Israeli National TV: Sept 12, 2007
Interviewed on Evening “International Affairs” Talk Show with Arab Nir.Among Arab nations, an atmosphere on edge Sept. 11, 2007
Los Angeles Times – By Jeffrey Fleishman“Syria has reached a decisive moment in its regional politics,” said Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center of Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma. “As it becomes clear that the U.S. must begin withdrawing from Iraq . . . Syria must decide what policy it will pursue toward a post-American Iraq. Will it side with Iran in supporting a Shiite government or will it side with Saudi Arabia in supporting the Sunni opposition?”….
Piecing Together What’s Just Happened between Israel and Syria Sept. 7, 2007
Prospects for Peace – New York, NY, USAToday, Josh Landis has a fascinating post on his well-respected Syria Comment blog entitled “Is Israel Looking for Korean Weapons in Syria?”. …
KPFK- Pacifica Radio for southern California from LA Sept. 6, 2007
Mid-day News. Listen here. Go to 4:30 minutes into the broadcast.NPR – Morning Edition, August 22, 2007 Listen
Iran and Syria: An Alliance Shaped by Mutual Foes by Deborah Amos“Saddam Hussein not only started a war against Iran, he was supporting anti-Syrian elements — the Muslim Brotherhood — here. So both regimes were threatened. They had to come together and be against Saddam Hussein,” says Josh Landis, co-director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma and assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies in the School of International and Area Studies.
“It’s a classic balance of power game. When Iraq is strong and threatens both countries, the two neighbors, Syria and Iran, have to come together and protect themselves,” Landis says. The Iran-Syria alliance drifted apart in the 1990s when Saddam was weak, but Landis says that in 2003, Iraq became a threat again.
“As soon as America landed in Iraq in 2003 and said, ‘I am going to blow apart both the Iranian and Syrian regimes and change the entire Middle East,’ the relationship became strong again. And America was threatening both countries, so Iraq was strong,” Landis explains.
“So as soon as the U.S. leaves, Syria is going to want Sunnis to have more power. Iran is going to want Shiites to have more power, and they are going to fall out over this,” Landis says….
Syria To Crackdown Tougher On Web Sites, August 9, 2007
by Joseph S. Mayton – AHN Middle East CorrespondentCairo, Egypt (AHN) – The Syrian Ministry of Information has promised that a new media law will be “issued soon,” and that it will include clear restrictions on electronic media. According to reports from the country, the new law will continue to restrict the use of the Internet for disseminating information. Already, Damascus has stopped blogspot from being used in the country and plans on making it difficult for users to have comments pages on their blogs.
“It is hard to believe that Syria would want to close down all websites with comment sections. Already all Blogspot blogs have been blocked in Syria. They can still be read through Bloglines or any other RSS feed, but the comment sections are not so easily accessed,” Joshua Landis, Co-director at the Center of Peace Studies, University of Oklahoma, wrote on his blog….
Analysis: All quiet on the Mideast front? July 24, 2007
United Press International – USA by Claude SalhaniThe next few months could be “fateful” for Syria, according to the country’s president, Bashar Assad, as quoted by the usually very well informed Internet blog, SyriaComment.com…
“The situation is likely to get worse before it gets better,” writes Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma, publisher of the SyriaComment blog, who is currently visiting Syria. The next few months “will be a waiting game and the hatches have all been battened down,” writes Landis.
Regional Powerplays and Shifting Sectarian Dynamics in Iraq, 7/2/2007
Global Politician, By Timothy Brown – Brooklyn,NY,USAJoshua Landis, a leading expert on Syrian affairs, says “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s recent meeting with Syrian foreign minister, Walid Moualem, at the conference on Iraq held at Sharm-el Sheik has…complicated Saudi Arabia’s efforts to draw Syria away from Iranian influence.”9 Saudi Arabia…is looking to bring Syria back into an Arab consensus, and to contain Iranian influence in the Arab world by breaking Syria’s isolation and trying to woo it away from Iran. The Harari court stands in the way of that process.10 Severing the Iran-Syria nexus has vast strategic implications for the region because as Joshua Landis further states that “In order to contain Iran, Saudi Arabia understands that it needs Arab unity, and most important in that Arab unity is Syria, because Iran’s reach into the Arab world is through Syria. Hezbollah is armed through Syria. The arms come largely from Iran, but arms cannot be sent through airports, or by ships, because Israeli intelligence will stop them. Therefore the only way to get arms into Lebanon is over the mountains and through the valleys of the border of Syria.” The Saudi assertion is that continuing to isolate Syria only allows them to side with Iran; however, any Saudi-Syrian talks would be divergent of the policy of its main ally, the United States….
Smiles in Damascus and Tehran June 21, 2007
Council on Foreign Relations – New York, NY,USA
Iran is seeking a stronger foothold in the Middle East, and as Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma points out in this interview with Bernard … “Iran’s reach into the Arab world is through Syria.”Mideast surprise: Changes are astir June 17, 2007
San Francisco Chronicle
“Countries like Egypt took steps forward,” said Joshua Landis, an assistant professor of history at the University of Oklahoma. “But soon these countries …KCBS Radio San Francisco, April 7. 2007
Pelosi Visit to DamascusKCRW, Southern California Public Radio, April 5, 2007
To the Point: Joshua Landis and Michael Young discuss Pelosi visit
Click here to listen“Tough Week for Bush’s Middle East Strategy,” by Jim Lobe, April 2, 2007
Inter Press Service.
“King Abdullah has come to the conclusion that only Arab unity can restore the regional balance of power [that has been] so skewed in Iran’s favor by the destruction of Saddam’s Arabist regime,” wrote Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at University of Oklahoma, on his blog. “To do this, Saudi Arabia must reach an accommodation with Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas; it cannot destroy them, as the U.S. recommends.”Les tensions avec Ryad mettent Washington en difficulté au Proche-Orient difficulté au Proche-Orient difficulté au Proche-Orient April 2, 2007
L’Orient-Le Jour, editorial:
“Selon Joshua Landis, un expert du Center of Peace Studies de l’Université de l’Oklahoma, en qualifiant d’« illégitime » la présence de troupes américaines en Irak, le roi Abdallah s’est posé comme le champion d’un nouveau panarabisme, destiné à contenir la montée de l’influence de l’Iran dans la région. Le roi est déjà parvenu à la conclusion que le plan du président George W. Bush en Irak était voué à l’échec et cherche à éloigner la Syrie de l’Iran pour ramener le régime de Damas dans le giron arabe, explique cet expert. « Le roi Abdallah a annoncé qu’il cherchait à adopter une nouvelle politique irakienne, une politique destinée à une nouvelle phase postaméricaine en Irak et une politique qui doit être coordonnée avec la Syrie », ajoute-t-il, rappelant que le souverain saoudien a eu deux entretiens avec le président syrien Bachar el-Assad en marge du sommet de Ryad.”“Syria, War, and Diplomacy,” 5 February 2007
Radio: ‘Weekday’ with Steve Scher,’ KUOW 94.9 Puget Sound Public Radio, 9:00 to 10:00 am.
….”Today we’ll talk to Imad Moustapha, the Syrian Ambassador to the United States, and Joshua Landis, a leading Syria expert.”
National Public Radio affiliate in Seattle, KUOW. Listen here.“Joshua Landis to ‘Al-Seyassa:’ Bush will not Heed Baker and Hamilton’s Advise,” 1 February 2007
Al-Seyassa, Kuwait, (39th Year) Issue No (13736)
Article in ArabicOutside View: Golan, key to peace Jan. 5, 2007
United Press International, Claude Salhani
… “SyriaComment.com, Joshua Landis` respected and authoritative blog, reports that the Syrian government-run daily newspaper Ath-Thawra…”Fox News TV: Dec. 30, 2006.
Secret US plan to overthrow Syrian gov’t – Report Dec. 21, 2006
Aljazeera.com – London,UK
… US invasion of Iraq, which Syria opposed, the Bush Administration has been looking for ways to squeeze the government in Damascus,” says Joshua Landis, a Syria …Report: US looking to topple Assad Dec. 21, 2006
Ynetnews – Israel
… Joshua Landis, a Syria expert who is co-director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma told TIME that the proposal “is really just an …Syria in Bush’s Crosshairs Dec. 20, 2006
TIME – USA by ADAM ZAGORIN
… invasion of Iraq, which Syria opposed, the Bush Administration has been looking for ways to squeeze the government in Damascus,” notes Joshua Landis, a Syria …Should Bush talk to Syria? Interview with Joshua Landis Dec. 16, 2006
Aljazeera.net – Qatar, Adla Massoud in New York
… But Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and co-director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma , believes the Bush administration will simply not budge on the issue. A senior Fulbright scholar in Syria in 2005 and operator of a Website called SyriaComment.com, Landis says the current view among the neoconservatives in Washington is that Syria is ruled by an “evil” dictatorship….Should the US engage Syria?
by Joshua Landis
Published by Civility, a publication of the “Foreign Policy Centre” in Britain
December, 2006Go-it-alone strategy a gamble that failed. Dec. 12, 06
Globe and Mail – Canada, ALAN FREEMAN…In 2003, going into Iraq, the U.S. made this massive gamble that the Middle East was ready for the fourth wave of democracy,” like Eastern Europe in the late 1980s, said Joshua Landis, co-director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
The theory was that by toppling Saddam Hussein, populations in Iraq’s neighbours, such as Syria, would rise up and overthrow their dictatorial regimes as well. The gamble clearly failed. But the Middle East, with its ethnic and tribal divisions, was not ready to embrace democracy — “The nation state in the Middle East is not fully cooked,” Mr. Landis said…
Lebanon: regional dynamics and internal tensions, Nov. 26, 2006
Times of Malta, by Leo Brincat, Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Council of Europe Rapporteur for Lebanon.
… According to an American expert, Joshua Landis, the drawn-out Iraq conflict has fed an image of declining US influence in Lebanon, and this has led Hizbollah to try to weaken, if not overthrow, the Siniora government. US power in the aftermath of the Iraq invasion enabled it to pry Lebanon away from Syria’s sphere of influence, but now as America’s authority starts to drain out of the region because of the Iraq debacle, Syria and its allies in Lebanon are trying to capitalise on a weakened America…The Case For Engaging Syria,” by Joshua Landis, November 17, 2006
Brookings Institute,
Should The United States Engage Syria? A Saban Center Policy Forum Debate
Memo #10,“Syria’s obstructionist behavior derives largely from the fact that the United States has historically allied itself with Syria’s enemies. Rapprochement with Syria would change this context. Moreover, Syria’s undefined international borders, as opposed to the Ba’thist state’s ideology, is what fuels radicalism in Syria. An intrinsic component of a United States-Syrian rapprochement, then, would be a concerted US effort to press Israel to conclude a peace agreement with Syria and end the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights.”…..
Lebanon Struggles to Maintain Stability After Assassination, Nov. 22, 2006
PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer
… Joshua Landis suggests both sides playing hands where the United States doesn’t hold very many good cards, doesn’t have very many good …Gemayel’s Killing Hits US Mideast Policy, Nov. 21, 2006
Agence France Press,
An early casualty may be the idea of dialogue with U.S. foes Damascus and Tehran. “It is going to be much harder,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and co-director of Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma. …Lebanon “certainly was the sort of crown jewel in the administration’s Middle East portfolio, but they are going to have to regroup,” said Schenker who served Bush as a Pentagon Middle East advisor.Bilal Saab said the failure of the Saniora government would be a “setback for the Bush administration.”“The Americans believe that this government is capable of advancing U.S. interests — the flourishing of democracy in the region — and they see Lebanon an example of democracy taking its way,” he said.Landis was blunter. “Lebanon is the last success story. If it falls, it is the end,” he said. “The U.S. is going to use Lebanon as a battering ram,” against Syria and Iran, Landis said. Syria meanwhile, “feels the tide is running out on America’s imperial authority in the Middle East.”(AFP)Lebanon slaying dims chances of US overture to Syria, Nov. 22, 2006
International Herald Tribune, By Sally Buzbee,
… since. “In some ways you can read this as upping the ante,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. Most …Beirut aftershocks hit US Mideast policy, Nov. 22, 2006
Khaleej Times – Dubai,United Arab Emirates
… “It is going to be much harder,” said Joshua Landis…Syria Is Prime Suspect, But Not the Only One, in Gemayel …
Voice of America – USA, By Gary Thomas, 22 November 2006
… Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and co-director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma, says Gemayel’s killing could have been done by …Iran summit idea could assist US, analysts say
San Francisco Chronicle – CA, USAWashington’s in paralysis. They don’t know what their policy will be,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. Given the fears that Iraq may collapse into complete chaos, said Landis, “Iraq and the neighbors cannot afford to wait two, three, four months for Washington to figure out who’s on first, who’s on second and what their Iraq policy is. So they’re driving the situation right now.”
While it’s unlikely the White House is prepared to begin those talks without preconditions, such as Iran abandoning its nuclear program or Syria doing more to secure its borders, some analysts warn that America stands to lose even more if it simply stands by while Iran and Syria sit down with Iraq to discuss that tattered nation’s future.
“You don’t want that. America wants to be leading this policy and working together with these people,” he said. “If this meeting doesn’t happen, the next one will, unless America gets on the phone and talks to both of these capitals and says we’re going to work something out with you.”
Envisioning US Talks With Iran and Syria, Nov. 19, 2006
New York Times, Michael Slackman,
… “Syria is quite realistic, if proud and stubborn,” said Joshua Landis, an assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma.“It will accept serious American offers and insist that the problems be dealt with comprehensively.”Curbing the Crisis in Lebanon, 17 November 2006
Voice of America, … This conflict, says Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Peace Studies at the University of Oklahoma, focuses on two diverging views. “One is that Lebanon belongs with the West, with the United States. And that’s what’s being upheld by the March 14 crowd. The other is that the United States is bad for the Middle East. It’s brought war. It’s brought an Israeli invasion, and that Lebanon belongs with Syria, [it] belongs with the Arab nations, and belongs with Islam. And that is the major dispute and it’s the fundamental identity question that Lebanon has yet to resolve,” says Landis.As Pressure for Talks Grows, Iran and Syria Gain Leverage Nov. 16, 2006
Washington Post – Robin Wright
… Cooperating with the United States also carries dangers. “Syria and Iran both believe that the U.S. is tilting at windmills and will not lend their leverage to a venture which they see as doomed,” said Joshua Landis, a University of Oklahoma specialist who recently spent a year as a Fulbright scholar in Damascus….Will Syria change its tune? Nov. 7, 2006
Edmond Sun – OK,USA
… One of the most knowledgeable people regarding Syria is Professor Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma, who serves as co-director of the Center For …Landis: Iraq War Sapping US Influence in Lebanon Nov. 3, 2006
Council on Foreign Relations – New York,New York,USA
Interviewee: Interviewer: Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria and Lebanon, says the drawn-out Iraq conflict has fed an image of declining US influence in Lebanon, and this has led …
BBC World News November 1, 2006
Landisinterviewed with Imad Mustapha, Syrian Ambassador in Washington and Advisor to Lebanese Prime Minister about US accusation of a Syrian plot to destabilize Lebanon’s democratic government. Listen here.Speaking with the enemy Oct 24, 2006
Asia Times Online – Kowloon,Hong Kong
… But there remains an obstinate, if misguided, logic to US policy, as summarized by Syria expert Dr Joshua Landis: “The resistance to opening the door to …David Brooks (Mis)Uses Israeli History to Involve the US in a … October 6, 2006
New York Observer – New York,NY,USA by Philip Weiss
… One of the most creative thinkers about the Middle East, Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma, makes the point that many states in the Middle East …Let’s Make a Deal: It’s time to talk to Syria. Sept. 15, 2006
Slate By Fred Kaplan
… “Joshua Landis,” whose blog, Syria Comment, is the most informative clearinghouse of analysis on the country, thinks that Assad wants better relations with the United States; that he turned to Iran in part because he needed to turn somewhere and had no alternative…Wisconson Public Radio interview: Listen to interview
Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 9:30 AM. Four men attacked the U.S. Embassy in Syria on Tuesday, killing one and wounding thirteen.
Kathleen Dunn and her guest examine what this says about the U.S. being targeted overseas.
Guest: – Joshua M. Landis, co-director, Center for Peace Studies, International Programs Center. Assistant professor of Middle Eastern studies, School of International and AreaAttack on US embassy foiled Sept 13, 2006
Globe and Mail – Canada
… The Syrian regime will be “deeply embarrassed” by the attack and hugely relieved that it was thwarted, said Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria who recently …Lebanon’s Weak Government
Council on Foreign Relations – New York,New York,USA
… a national dialogue between political leaders failed in the spring, the country’s leadership just stopped working, says Joshua M. Landis, assistant professor …BBC Newshour (begins at 14:25 min) September 1, 2006
BBC World News Tonight: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/radio4/aod.shtml?radio4/worldtonight_fri active for a weekThe Fight Over Iraq September 5, 2006 Council on Foreign Relations
… Syria, as Joshua Landistells Gwertzman, has forged a new dialogue and repaired relations after two decades of mutual distrust. …BBC’s The World Today Sept 12, 2006 BBC Link
Syria seen as linchpin in Lebanon
San Francisco Chronicle – CA, USA
… Syria “is the doorman, and it gives Hezbollah diplomatic cover in the region,” said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma. …Syria, Traditional Refuge for Displaced Arabs, Is Strained by …
New York Times – United States
… But Joshua Landis, an expert on Syrian history at the University of Oklahoma, said he expected Syria to remain the last refuge for citizens of other Arab …What drives Hezbollah?
Minnesota Public Radio – Saint Paul, MN, USA
… Lebanon. Joshua Landis: Assistant professor of Middle East studies at the University of Oklahoma. He writes the blog, Syria Comment. …Syria stands to gain from Lebanon’s pain
Guardian Unlimited – UK
… “The Syrian opposition will be silenced by growing dislike of the United States,” Damascus-based commentator Joshua Landis wrote in his blog. …Is Hizbullah winning by losing?
Christian Science Monitor – Boston, MA, USA
… “A month ago there was considerable attention being paid to Assad’s crackdown on the opposition,” wrote Damascus-based commentator Joshua Landis in his blog. …Rice Faces Crisis of Her Own as Middle East Diplomacy Falters
Bloomberg – USA
… Joshua M. Landis, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Oklahoma and a specialist on Syria, which occupied Lebanon until last year, said …Syria holds key to lasting peace in Lebanon: analysts Khaleej Times – Dubai, United Arab Emirates (AFP)
Analyst Joshua Landis, an expert on Syria, said Damascus wanted a hand in any truce between the warring parties so as to show that it still holds sway in …http://www.elaph.com/ElaphWeb/Politics/2006/8/166572.htm
الى ذلك رأى محللون انه لا يمكن التوصل الى تسوية دائمة للأزمة في لبنان في غياب الدعم الدبلوماسي لسورية التي ما زالت تتمتع بنفوذ كبير في لبنان عن طريق حزب الله. وقال الباحث
الأميركي جوشوا لانديس المتخصص في الشؤون السورية ان دمشق تريد هدنة بين الاطراف المتناحرة بواسطتها لتثبت انها ما زالت تلعب دورا محوريا في لبنان رغم انسحاب قواتها من هذا البلد في نيسان(ابريل) 2005 بعد ان مارست نفوذا سياسيا وعسكريا فيه لسنوات طويلة. واضاف لانديس في حديث لوكالة فرانس برس ان “الولايات المتحدة طردت سورية من لبنان. ولإبقاء نفوذها في لبنان دعمت حزب الله”، معتبرا ان سورية “ستملأ نوعا ما الفراغ من خلال ثقلها الدبلوماسي اذا ما اصبحت طرفا في التوصل الى هدنة”. وراى لانديس ان ارسال قوات اجنبية دون موافقة حزب الله، أي دون موافقة دمشق، سيكون “ضرباً من الجنون”. واضاف “ستتعرض (هذه القوات) لهجمات بالعزيمة نفسها التي ابداها حزب الله لدى مهاجمته القوات الأميركية والفرنسية والاسرائيلية التي حاولت اعادة تنظيم لبنان دون موافقة حافظ الاسد” الرئيس السوري الراحل.Secretary Rice Faces Her Biggest Test Yet New York Sun – New York,NY,USA
… A specialist on Syria, which occupied Lebanon until last year, and a professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Oklahoma, Joshua Landis, said Ms. …Analysis: Assad on the warpath United Press International
… Assad`s message, according to a Syrian blogger identified only as ‘Fadi’ and posted on Joshua Landis` Syriacomment.com, was simple: ‘Our camp won, yours lost …Rising from the rubble ITP.net – Dubai,United Arab Emirates … s ability to continue sending rockets into Israel after a month of Israeli air strikes proves that Syria’s clients have teeth,” Joshua Landis, a Syria …
PBS – Charlie Rose Show – Friday, Aug 11, 2006
Charlie Rose invited me to speak on his show with Syrian Ambassador Imad Moustapha in a 25 minute Segment of his show. A DISCUSSION ABOUT SYRIA AND THE NATION’S ROLE: IN THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS WITH IMAD MOUSTAPHA, Syria’s Ambassador to the United States JOSHUA LANDIS, University of Oklahoma CLICK HERE TO WATCH FRIDAY’S SHOWIs peace possible?
Yes. Hafez Assad wanted to finish this deal in the 1990s when President Clinton led peace negotiations. He went to Geneva to meet with Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak, but, as Clinton writes in his memoir, Barak got cold feet. It was a few months before elections, and Barak didn’t think he could get Israel to give back the Golan Heights. As happened with Egypt in 1979, Israel didn’t want to give up the Sinai, but Jimmy Carter closed the deal by providing Israel with gobs of money. If there could be peace with Israel—and everybody in Damascus is talking about it, as is Syria’s ambassador to the U.S., Imad Moustapha—that would help lift the strict sanctions against Syria. America now has a chance to bring Syria away from anti-Western alliances that it has needed to fight the Arab-Israeli conflict.
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