As President Obama turns his attention to the Middle East peace process one country is glaringly absent from his schedule: Syria.
For all the face time he is spending this month with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Egyptian President Mubarak and Palestinian Chief Mahmoud Abbas, Pres. Obama would do well to welcome Syrian President al-Assad into the fold.
Without Syria on board to curb Hezbollah, resolve the Golan Heights issue and help contain Iran's influence in the region, a final settlement will not be possible.
Moreover, despite Pres. Obama's renewal of sanctions against Syria two weeks ago, Damascus remains willing to resume indirect peace talks with Israel.
Since the beginning of the Iraq War, Syria has suffered mass misrepresentation in the media. So, when I visited last month I was stunned to find that the country has a much softer side.
Often described as a hotbed of anti-Americanism, that eschews ties to the West under Iranian tutelage, in reality that reputation couldn't be further from the truth.
One look at the country's first lady Asma al-Assad should help prove so to disbelievers. The British-born, jeans-wearing wife of the current President Bashar represents a radically more modern regime.
Profiled by French Elle as the most stylish international first lady (oui, she beat out Mme. Sarkozy), the comparisons between Mrs. al-Assad and Mrs. Obama are surprisingly abundant. Both take a hands-on approach to national social work and raising their kids, both forgo formalities for the everyday at home, and both insist on date nights out with their husbands.
When the couple turned up in jeans to watch a play in Damascus in late 2008, the episode caused a furor of excitement. "What's abnormal about it? We're married, we're young, why wouldn't we go to the theatre?" she told the London Times in an interview.
Syria's softer side can be found not just in the upper echelons, but also amongst the people on the street.
In April I toured the country and was overwhelmed by the welcoming response I found, nearly everywhere I went.
As a blond female tourist in this part of the world, it's normal to attract a lot of unsolicited conversation. Whereas in Cairo though it was typically to sell me a souvenir or take a photo, and in Beirut it sounded more like wrangling for a date, in Damascus most people simply smiled and said "Hello! Where are you from?"
From the souks of Damascus to the ruins at Palmyra, the Syrians I encountered were warm and curious. They wanted to know what I was doing there, what I thought of their country, the food, the landscape and would I please tell my friends and family to visit?
Absolutely -Syria has become a safe, tourist-friendly place that everyone should consider visiting on a trip to the Middle East, particularly those who appreciate historical sites and like to shop (even VOGUE went for the May issue).
Just don't expect your Facebook to work.
Presently, the dark days of the reign of Bashar's father, President Hafez al-Assad, appear long gone. A United Nations tribunal of the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is now underway. That investigation should go a long way to exposing the remaining loyalist elements and corruption in the current regime.
The terrorism that the U.S. accuses Syria of sponsoring is mostly in cross-border support for Hezbollah that doesn't threaten the safety of Syrians' everyday lives. It's a lawful state where bombs don't go off randomly and civilians know that the police are very much in control.
Unfortunately, where those Syrian arms and funds end up in Lebanon, Gaza and Israel, they do kill civilians. Syria has said they can reign in Hezbollah and help with Hamas once the Israelis withdraw from the Golan Heights. To not put al-Assad on the front of the U.S.'s Middle East agenda simply does not make sense.
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