Syria's Foreign Policy

This research examines the strategic and military aspects of SyriaÆs foreign policy. Syria is located in the hotbed of Middle Eastern politics. The countryÆs foreign policy is dominated by Middle East concernsùprimarily the Arab-Israeli dispute, although Syria was an Allied Forces participant in the Gulf War action against Iraq.

Issues Related to Strategic Location, and Their Effects on Syrian Foreign Policy

Syria is bounded on the north and northwest by Turkey (Paxton, 1991, p. 1175). Conflicts frequently arise between Syria and Turkey over minor border problems, the apportionment of river water flow, smuggling, and charges of internal subversion (Collelo, 1990, p. 253). Historically, Syrian resentment against Turkey stems from the unilateral and arbitrary decision by the French to cede SyriaÆs Alexandretta province to Turkey in 1939, while Syria was governed by the French under a Mandate from the League of Nations (Collelo, 1990, p. 253). The French decision preceded a similar decision by the British to create Kuwait out of territory historically claimed by Iraq, when that region of the Middle East was governed by the British under a Mandate from the United Nations (the original British Mandate was established by the League of Nations). For its part, Turkey has frequently accused Syria of providing training and support for Armenian, Kurdish, and Arab terrorist groups operating against and in Turkey (Collelo,

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secular Zionists, for one thing, do not accept that Arab Palestinian rights are equal to Jewish rights. Although they did not specify that a Jewish state had to be created on Palestinian territory, they did contend that the Jews had a right to their own state. As Pales-tine was selected as the territory on which the state of Israel was created, however, Jewish rights now are predominate in Palestine. The Arab Palestinians and the Jewish Palestinians who resided in Palestine prior to the creation of the state of Israel do, indeed, enjoy equal rights in Palestine. A just solution for these people would have been the creation of an independent state in which they could have continued to live together as equals. Instead, the international community of great powers imposed the creation of the state of Israel in the territory of Palestine. This action certainly created a great injustice for the Arab Palestinians, but it was not the result of a clash of equal rights. One thing is certain. The Lebanese situation, wherein both Syria and Israel have used the territory of Lebanon without anyoneÆs permission to pursue their own interests, the continuing Israeli-Syrian hostility, and the broader Arab-Israeli conflict have been and cont
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Approximate Word count = 3034
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)

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