Friday February 13, 2009

I've Been Thinking:

Next week Senator John Kerry is headed to Syria where he will meet Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Kerry is not embarking on a fact finding mission.
Kerry is head of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Kerry does not need any information, if he did all he has to do is snap his fingers.
This trip by the former Democratic presidential nominee is a diplomatic mission, Obama style.

Two things are happening here:
# 1: Obama wants to send a very clear message of openness to Syria and the entire region signifying that the United States is opening doors. The visit by Kerry is an important gesture in that direction. Syria is walking a tightrope between Iran and the West and could go either way, so courting Syria is a wise diplomatic move by the new US president.

#2: The more significant reason for this trip by Kerry is to help the United States regain involvement and importance in the region. For the past 18 months the major Western player in the region has been Sarkozy of France who has been doing a very good job of moving Western priorities and interests along in the Middle East. This week alone, France has had high level meetings in Egypt and in Jordan. French leadership has played an essential role in setting acceptable limits on Iran.

Obama and the United States are embarking on a mission to wrestle back the mantel of leadership throughout the world.
Kerry is a key player in the fulfillment of that mission.

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