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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Is Iran's president growing suspicious of Assad 's real intentions? |
| 2007-08-19 |
| By David Eshel When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his surprise visit to Damascus, last month, rumors spread over Tehran's real intentions: whether it was as innocent as to wish the Syrian president godspeed on his second inauguration occasion. Or was a secret meeting shoring up a common strategy against Israel? New intelligence assessments, currently circulating among Mid East experts now suspect, that the real reason behind Ahmadinejad's visit, was to warn his Syrian friend against taking any evasive action on the mutual strategic alliance, which lately seems to be undergoing growing uncertainties. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 Syria has economic problems. The eastern half of the country is loaded with refugees. They're trying to regain hold of their client state, but Lebanon isn't following the master plan and is playing hard-to get. The Iranians are supposedly working with Syria, but the Persians aren't to be trusted(it isn't just Greeks bearing gifts that one should beware). Lastly, the UN may just initiate legal proceedings on the assassination. So, the Baathists are getting antsy. They figure there's this big target being painted on their collective foreheads. Assad doesn't have the control over the Baathists like his father did. Maybe he's getting tired of sleeping with one eye open... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2007-08-19 21:43 |
| #4 General Assef Shawkat ( left), the president's brother-in-law, who by sheer chance is also prime suspect in the Hariri affair. Nothing but a complete and total coincidence, to be sure. Baby Assad is in way over his head. He has neither the assets nor the strategic savvy to profitably entertain Iran's meddlesome and dubious interests. Islamic Unity™—be it Sunni or Shiite—still remains, as ever, a splendid oxymoron and little else. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-19 15:39 |
| #3 Opinion: Baby Assad considers himself a major player and Master of High Cunning. Eventually, his scheming will get him in hot water either with the Israelis or his 'allies'. It was probably a mistake for his daddy to buy him the boardgame Risk when he was a kid. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2007-08-19 12:07 |
| #2 Assad is in easy range for Israeli airstraikes, and he knows it. Ahmadi-nejad is the typical arrogant Persian,, thinking he can lord it over the Arabs and use them as cannon fodder for his schemes, while he sits safe in Tehran. And there is your "diplomatic" line of attack to fracture that "alliance". But thats only if we had a CinC that had brains and guts enough to push it (Bush isnt the guy, he wimpishly already refused to discpline CIA and State), and if we don;t have anyone in State with the balls to work with CIA to do it (nor do we have inyone left in the top of the CIA with the guts to do this against the Eastern Elties old-boy club). |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-08-19 11:07 |
| #1 Link for this points back to rantburg.com. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2007-08-19 04:14 |