Syria and its Arab foes

The country’s would-be destroyers will soon be seeking reconciliation

The Syrian leadership was restrained and diplomatic when it announced that it would not be taking part in the annual Arab summit due to be held in Algiers in November. Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad said this was being done to ‘assist in the unification of Arab ranks in the face of the challenges imposed by current conditions on the regional and international levels.’

What Miqdad avoided saying openly is that Syria wanted to spare the Algerian hosts any embarrassment, and to foil efforts to sabotage the summit by the Arab countries that conspired against it and pumped tens of billions of dollars into the US-sponsored scheme to topple the regime and dismember the country.

These countries are now trying to cover the failure of their attempt to destroy the Syrian state by refusing to allow it to retake its seat in the Arab League, and making their attendance at the summit conditional on that. Algeria had lobbied hard to get it readmitted as a way of restoring pan-Arab solidarity.

Syria’s withdrawal from the meeting delivered a slap to these detractors’ faces and was most probably agreed in advance with the Algerians. I think the Algerian government should have cancelled the gathering outright. Algeria has been recovering its strength and international stature and doesn’t need to play compared to a meaningless and tokenistic event of this kind. Its government would do well to explain why it didn’t just call the whole thing off.

Syria’s attendance would have been the highlight of the summit and attracted worldwide attention. Without Syria — a founder member of the Arab League which always rejected any form of normalisation with Israel — it will be just another routine annual Arab summit: low-level delegates standing in for most of the leaders and meeting for a few hours to make inane speeches and doze off between them. Algeria had hoped for something better: to oversee a serious reunification of Arab ranks.

Syria’s priorities have changed. They no longer include engaging in sterile diplomatic exercises characterised by mutual insincerity. Its priority is to liberate its territory, expel the occupiers, regain its natural and other resources, and rebuild. Its surest route for achieving that is to consolidate its presence at the heart of the Axis of Resistance and the rising powers challenging US global hegemony.

Turkey has stepped back and begun knocking on Damascus’ door seeking reconciliation and the turning of a new leaf. That is to be welcomed. The day will come when Arab governments walk the same path. Some have taken preliminary steps by reopening embassies. Syria’s dark decade seems to be approaching an end.

Syria and its Arab foes