{"id":2353,"date":"2009-03-09T06:24:25","date_gmt":"2009-03-09T06:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=2353"},"modified":"2009-03-09T06:25:12","modified_gmt":"2009-03-09T06:25:12","slug":"a-new-strategic-alliance-iran-syria-turkey-and-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/a-new-strategic-alliance-iran-syria-turkey-and-iraq\/","title":{"rendered":"A new strategic alliance: Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We learned from the Palestinians<\/a>
\nBy Zvi Bar’el<\/p>\n

….[Israelis], it seems, like the Palestinians, know just when the time is right to miss an opportunity. When America has finally matured, we are using Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman as a defensive shield against any initiative.<\/p>\n

As Israel continues to dig in, the region is carrying on with its regular agenda. A new strategic alliance is emerging right in front of us. It comprises Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. In this alliance, Russia holds the cards and the United States, which stood by watching under George W. Bush, is trying to find room at the table.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Baghdad<\/a>

Baghdad Pact meeting in Tehran presided over by Shah Mohammed Riza Pahlevi, (at far end of table). Presiding over the meeting is Major General Isakander Mirza, (at head of table), President of Pakistan. Seated on Mirza's right is Turkish Premier Adnan Menderes. Seated on the Shah's right is Nour Said of Iraq. Pakistan;s Premier H. S. Sudrawardy is on the Shah's left.<\/p><\/div>\n

The convenient division between “moderate” and “extremist” Arab states is no longer useful. Friendly Qatar has become an ally of Syria; Saudi Arabia, which claimed the patent for the Arab initiative, is sending Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal to Damascus to rebuild the Arab alliance. Syria, along with Iran, Iraq and Turkey, plans to set up a joint electricity grid, while Iran is being described as an enemy of the Arabs. The Arabs? Except for Syria, Qatar, Iraq and Sudan. The old arrangement that Israel thought it could navigate is falling apart. The bad guys and good guys are changing roles, and they are dragging the Western countries alone.<\/p>\n

Who is an ally and who is an enemy? Who is the blind one here? Washington, which does not see where terrorism comes from, or Israel, which remains preoccupied with the locks on the gates to Gaza and the amounts of sugar, salt, concrete and iron to be allowed in? The United States, which is trying to adopt new methods against the Iranian threat and offer an alliance to Russia, or Israel, which is fumbling about trying to decide whether to procure an American anti-missile system or develop an anti-Qassam missile at a cost of $1 million each?<\/p>\n

And what an achievement for Israel. The United States conditioned the transferring of its contribution to Gaza’s reconstruction to the release of Gilad Shalit. And what if the U.S. does not transfer the funds? How much will there be for reconstruction? How much is $5.5 billion minus $900 million? Still double what the Gaza Strip needs.<\/p>\n

And what will happen if the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas takes place and these two enemies set up a unity government, dispatch ambassadors to European countries and hold a dialogue? What if the Europeans sign agreements with the Palestinians and invite their representatives to set up offices in their capitals? What will happen to all this achievement? Britain is already ready to talk to Hezbollah; true, “only” with its political wing, as if it’s possible to separate the organization’s military and political wings. Which half of Hassan Nasrallah is Britain planning to talk to? And what about Hamas? After all, it, too, will soon find a European interlocutor.<\/p>\n

Does anyone understand what is happening here? Perhaps the Western countries, who are fed up with the unintelligible conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, or Israel, which is keeping score on anyone who boycotts its academics and angry with those who undermine its definitions of who the enemy is.<\/p>\n

But here comes a chance to put forth a new vision, to raise a new flag. In three weeks, the Arab League is meeting in Qatar. This is normally a ceremony void of substance, but twice in the past it set the tone. Once in Khartum, in 1967, when it declared the “three Nos” against Israel, and once in Beirut, in 2002, when the Arab initiative proposing recognition of Israel was approved. In 35 years the Arabs’ strategic concept has changed. It can change again in a month if Israel presents a new concept, clearly and loudly.<\/p>\n

But we better not hold our breath. We have learned well how to miss opportunities; that is what happens when you spend so much time with the Palestinians.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Turkish FM: Turkey trying to ease U.S.-Iran tension <\/a>By Reuters
\n
\nPrice to Woo Syria Could Be Steep<\/a>, By Jay Solomon and Nada Raad, WSJ<\/p>\n

U.S. envoys held weekend talksSyria Comment \u203a Edit \u2014 WordPress<\/a> in Damascus, hoping to enlist Syria in Mideast stabilization efforts, but Syria’s president is expected to demand a heavy price in return. Mr. Assad has his own priorities. In particular, he wants Washington to push Israel for concessions over the disputed Golan Heights region.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clinton: U.S. to push for Israel-Syria reconciliation<\/a>
\nBy Natasha Mozgovaya and Barak Ravid<\/p>\n

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed during her visit to Ankara that the United States would like to see a resumption of the talks between Israel and Syria. However, in closed talks Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu said he prefers to give priority to the Palestinian track<\/strong> over the Syrian one. The importance of indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel “cannot be overstated,” Clinton said at the end of a meeting with her Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The focus is on Syria, but the key is really Iran<\/a> (March 09. 2009)<\/strong>
\nBy Phil Sands, The National<\/p>\n

\u2026Syria\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditionally, the US has sought to weaken both Iran and Syria, to lock them out of regional security discussions and deny their importance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the US learns to offer them security \u2013 that is, stop threatening to overturn their regimes \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

US Envoys Hold \u2018Constructive\u2019 Talks in Syria<\/a> (07 March 2009)<\/strong>
\nBy Edward Yeranian, Cairo, Voice of America<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We learned from the Palestinians By Zvi Bar’el ….[Israelis], it seems, like the Palestinians, know just when the time is right to miss an opportunity. When America has finally matured, we are using Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman as a defensive shield against any initiative. As Israel continues to dig in, the region is carrying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[51,39,15,44,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-golan","category-iran","category-israel","category-turkey","category-us"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nA new strategic alliance: Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq? - Syria Comment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/a-new-strategic-alliance-iran-syria-turkey-and-iraq\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A new strategic alliance: Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq? - Syria Comment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We learned from the Palestinians By Zvi Bar’el ….[Israelis], it seems, like the Palestinians, know just when the time is right to miss an opportunity. 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