BULLETIN No.173

Washington Times Assad inspires 'flip' theories By Iason Athanasiadis - Recent visits are prompting speculation that Syria is seeking to leave the Iranian orbit and pursue closer ties with the West.
Haaretz - Itamar Rabinovitch Markers on the route to Damascus
Yedioth Ahronoth Syria hallucinations President Bashar Assad won't be disengaging from Iran or Hizbullah, Zalman Shoval writes
Syria talks bad for Israel/ Dore Gold
Assad’s Olive Branch Can Bear No Fruit Ammar Abdulhamid
Forward Senators Visit Damascus, Push For Syrian Talks
U.S. senator: Assad will fight arms transfers to Hezbollah
Syria Poised to Assert Itself - Seth Wikas, Baltimore Sun
Haaretz - Benziman What do Assad and Olmert want?
Analysis: Syria, Iran won Lebanon war
Ari Shavit: Israel owes U.S., but not at price of peace with Syria
Israel Harel An agenda for talks with Assad
The delusion of a dialogue with Syria By Ammar Abdulhamid
Donald Macintyre: Is it time for Israel to start talking to Syria?
Eldar Assad's French nightmare
PM: Opposition to Syria talks not the result of U.S. pressure
NYT Iran’s Strong Ties With Syria Complicate U.S. Overtures
Syria Wants to Work With US Forces to Control Iraq Border
Syria Plans Regional Conference on Iraq
MI and Mossad disagree over Assad's intentionsMI believes that Assad is serious about wanting to make peace with Israel, but the Mossad disagrees.
Carnegie Endowment Syrian Political Reform: An Uncertain Future By Anonymous Full Text (PDF)

IHT The Hamas factor ROBERT MALLEY AND HENRY SIEGMAN The latest American and European bid to revive the long-dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace process is fundamentally flawed in its denial of Hamas as a necessary partner
JCPA The Hamas Government: Between Tactical Pragmatism and Al-Qaeda Jihadism - Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi
Palestine's necessary civil war Barry Rubin Palestinian politics have reached new heights of internal conflict, pulling the population deeper into disorder and pushing them further from statehood.
Israel allows Fatah guns across border Weaponry has been sent through Israel into Gaza in a sign that Jerusalem, London and Washington are reinforcing President Abbas
Yedioth Ahronoth Jordan: Israel not so strong King Abdullah tells Japanese newspaper, ‘The perception in the Middle East is that Israel lost Lebanon war’; adds: More and more countries in the region will now believe that the only way to get Israel to listen is through force
JINSA Report #559, Israel as a Security Asset for the United States
UPI Analysis: Israel's options vs.Iran's bomb

Boston Globe A two-state solution for Iraq? (By David Apgar)
Washington Post Bush's New Look on Iraq: Weary By David Ignatius
CFR What Saddam’s Death Will Mean for Iraq
Washington Post Bush and Security Advisers to Meet Today on Iraq Strategy Troop Increase Appears More Likely
Washington Institute Key Trends to Watch in Iraq

2006 Review: Iran's influence in Middle East to rise in 2007 Deutsche Presse-Agentur - By By Pakinam Amer
Independent Leading article: Iran - A small step towards international unity
Christian Science Monitor
Will EU and US be tougher now on Iran? With a weakened but unanimously approved UN resolution, they could take the lead on more action.

Foreign Affairs The New Middle East Richard N. Haass The age of U.S. dominance in the Middle East has ended and a new era in the modern history of the region has begun. It will be shaped by new actors and new forces competing for influence, and to master it, Washington will have to rely more on diplomacy than on military might.
Salhani Analysis: Middle East predictions in 2007