BULLETIN No. 201

A Diplomatic Road to Damascus: The Benefits of U.S. Engagement with Syria Independent Institute
What Israel Really Gained by Bombing Syria
By Dennis Ross
Sometimes in international relations it is good to preserve mystery. The irony is that often when an action has been taken but not admitted, everyone seems to know anyway. That certainly seems to be...
Syria's Strategic Weapons Programs Michael Eisenstadt
The September 6 Israeli airstrike against Syrian weapons facilities raises broader questions about the status of Syria's strategic weapons programs, which would likely play a crucial role in any future confrontation with Israel.
Losing Traction against Syria The September 6 Israeli bombing of a presumed North Korean-supplied nuclear weapons facility in Syria highlights the ongoing policy challenge posed by Damascus.
Did N. Korea Give Syria Nuclear Aid? By: Donald Kirk The Christian Science MonitorThe US faces a dilemma going into the next round of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons: how firmly to press North Korea for details of proliferation of its nuclear technology to foreign clients. Ahead of the Thursday meeting in Beijing, the issue has assumed critical importance with revelations of an Israeli raid early this month on a Syrian base where North Koreans were suspected of imparting not only know-how but also materiel needed for Syria to develop nuclear warheads.
The Islamic Brotherhood Had Always Been Banned in Syria under Hafez El AssadA Reconciliation in Damascus? By Samir Al-Taqi US Intel: Israeli Air Strike on Syria Did Not Hit Nuclear Facility
Arabs Want Syria to Take Part in Peace Talks but in "Separate Room" - Paper
"Syrian Nuclear Science Bibliography: Open Literature Citations," September 2007
Israel, Syria and the Glaring SecretStratfor By George Friedman
Syria willing to transfer disputed Shaba Farms to UN custody
Nuclear Ring May Have Aided SyriaBy Douglas Frantz, LA Times Staff Writer

Asia Times All power to the weak in Lebanon If the first round of Lebanon's presidential elections - postponed on Tuesday - is anything to go by, the country is in for a long haul in finding a replacement for Emile Lahoud. Powerful factions backed by powerful countries, notably Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United States, have strong likes and dislikes. A weak, malleable compromise choice looks the only way out. - Sami Moubayed
A majority that refuses to act like one Michael Young The two-month period to elect a new president has begun, and not surprisingly it started with a deal. On Tuesday, Parliament was called into session to find a successor to Emile Lahoud. Instead, the speaker, Nabih Berri, bought an extra month to haggle over a consensus candidate. That may be what many Lebanese want, but the result will not be stability.
Berri, Hariri lead new push toward consensus
US House votes to 'strongly back' Siniora Cabinet
Time Will Hizballah Attack UN Troops?
The Assassination of Antoine Ghanem and the Decisive Moment
Walid Shoucair - The assassination of Ghanem aims at preventing a change in a key Lebanese post. It is reminiscent of that of martyred Prime Minister Rafic Hariri in 2005. His murder was similarly aimed at preventing a shift in another key political institution.
U.S. Fears Hizbullah Attacks in Lebanon Middle East Newsline

Jerusalem Post Nine Palestinians reported dead as Gaza violence intensifies
BBC 'Eight die' in Israeli Gaza raids
At least eight Palestinians are killed in two separate Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials say.
The Rise of Islamists in the Near East: The EU, the US and Hamas (PDF; 228 KB)Source: Center for Security Studies
'Israel struck nuclear or missile site'Bolton says he "definitely hears" that N. Korea was involved with target of alleged IAF action.Israel and the Palestinians: Domestic Developments and Prospects for Talks
Washington Post Senate Endorses Plan to Divide Iraq: Action Shows Rare Bipartisan Consensus
U.S. Needs ‘Long-Term Presence’ in Iraq, Gates Says
Los Angeles Times Senate endorses policy to create a Balkans-style Iraq
Foreign Policy Seven Questions: Is the Surge Working in Iraq?
A Separate Peace By Leon HadarIraq will move forward when America leaves it behind.
Open Fire By Paul W. SchroederAmericans still don’t understand that the Iraq War didn’t go wrong. The war was wrong.
Asia Times The Iraq oil grab that went awry US officials have consistently dismissed the notion that the Iraq war was all about oil as too simple-minded for serious debate. Now former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan has waded in, writing that "the Iraq war is largely about oil". The dreams of black gold have spawned a story of greed, mismanagement and incompetence of spectacular proportions. - Dilip Hiro

How to Build U.S.-Iran Relations By: Abbas Maleki and Kaveh L. Afrasiabi The Boston GlobeThe ongoing saga between Iran and the United States, more than a quarter of a century old, has all the marking of a potentially serious, even catastrophic, chapter in international relations.
Wall Street Journal Bush and Iran Tehran has been told it will pay a price for killing Americans, but it never has
UPI Analysis: EU to support Iran sanctions? The United States and France are pushing for EU sanctions against Iran if those fail to be agreed upon at the United Nations, but it remains unclear how many other powers in Europe would support such a plan.
Who's Afraid of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? By: Jesse Walker Reason When Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University yesterday, he did not emerge with the "propaganda victory" that neocon pundit Bill Kristol assured us he would receive.
The World Can Live With a Nuclear Iran Martin van Creveld
Heritage Foundation Iran: Time for Sanctions of the Willing
New York Times Washington Sees an Opportunity on Iran
Senate Urges Bush to Declare Iran Guard a Terrorist Group