Daily Star Political News: After three years of isolation, Syria comes in from the cold

Despite conciliatory moves, region remains volatile - analysts By Inter Press Service Saturday, July 26, 2008 Mona Alami Inter Press Service BEIRUT: Syrian skies seem to be finally clearing after a very long storm and the virtual shunning of President Bashar Assad from the international political scene for almost three years. Many may perceive the recent rapprochement between Syria and France as a mere dalliance, but others believe it can herald a new - and more peaceful - dawn in Lebanon. Lebanon's fate has traditionally been linked with Syria's, which has used the "Land of the Cedars" numerous times in recent history to gain leverage regionally and internationally. In exchange for cooperating with the 1991 US war on Iraq, Syria was handed an implicit mandate over Lebanon. But that mandate effectively came to an end with... [read full story]