CIAO DATE: 02/2009
December 2008
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
An Israeli-Syrian peace deal is a real possibility and would have a positive effect on the Middle East and U.S. interests there. But the two sides will not reach an agreement without U.S. leadership. The incoming administration should use a balance of pressure, incentives, and robust diplomacy to make the agreement a reality, concludes a new paper by the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center.
Paul Salem argues that President-elect Barack Obama should continue the Bush administration's policy of pressuring Syria to keep out of Lebanon and Iraq, which has helped push Syria towards a peace agreement. But the new administration must pursue a more balanced approach with strong diplomacy to reach a land-for-peace deal over the occupied Golan Heights.
Resource link: Syrian–Israeli Peace: A Possible Key to Regional Change [PDF] - 151K