Relations falter with Syria in the wake
of the seemingly credible threats against Ambassador Robert Ford.
Ford was sent to be the ambassador to Syria by the Obama
administration, in an effort to strengthen ties with the country and
help mitigate the potential for a “state supporter of terrorism”
From 2004 until recently, tension
between Syria and the United States grew drastically, causing in 2005
the Bush administration to recall its ambassador to Syria. During
this time, Syria also increased their relations with Iran and radical
Palestinian groups. This connection has caused even more stress
between the governments of Syria and the United States. As of 2009
The United States has attempted to strengthen the relationship with
Syria, through varied political institutions, such as congressional
meetings. This culminated in December 2010 when Obama used a recess
appointment to make Ford the ambassador to Syria.
This looked to be a good step in
improving the stressed relations between the two countries. However,
the actions of a number of Syrian protestors have brought that into
question. Recently, Ford was the target of a number of intimidation
attempts by pro-government aggressors, in an attempt to stop his
vocal support of peaceful protests in the country. Once again, these
issues were elevated when a credible threat to Ford's personal safety
was brought up. He then made a strategic retreat the weekend of
October 21st in hopes of calming the pro-government
aggressors.
The State Department confirms that the
embassy in Syria will remain open throughout this problem. In this
statement, Mark Toner, the State Department spokesman, also stated
that it was only Ford who was under the threats. The political
actions seem to only target him, rather than United States
involvement within the region.
It is unsure whether or not Ford will
return to Syria, which creates a number of political problems.
Through the actions of the Syrian government, and protestors, it is
seemingly obvious that there is political support for these actions.
For example, recently when Ford was attacked with eggs and trapped in
a building, the police were quite slow to respond.
These actions create a major problem
when focusing on the relations between the United States government
and the government of Syria. It is understandable that Syrian
officials do not agree with, or even like, the fact that Ford is
vocal about his beliefs. However, international statutes define
certain conditions that must be met for all diplomatic individuals,
such as ambassadors. Since Fords presence was becoming a threat to
the governments political beliefs, there were aggressive means used
to silence him.
While the Obama administration focuses
on the politics of liberal internationalism, there still must be a
defense of American rights within the region. Yes, in this ideology,
the government has the right to decide who they wish to allow into
their sovereign nation. However, since Syrian officials have accepted
Ford into the position of ambassador they are required to provide
their official duties, in this case protection.
If the United States allows the
pro-government activists of Syria to bully and dictate the United
States ambassador to the country, then a horrid precedent will be
set. Nations who do not appreciate the liberal, vocal government
activists and politically minded ambassadors will be able to use
scare tactics to, not only influence, but indirectly delegate
government decisions of the United States. This also shows that the
United States government is willing to give into fear campaigns and
can have even worse repercussions down the line.
In my opinion, the best solution for
this problem is to return Ambassador Ford to Syria. Of course, I
argue for a stronger guard and protective detail to ensure the most
safety possible. This is in addition to filing charges in the United
Nations and other agencies for Syrian failure in this political
realm. I would respect the official wish of the country, but force
Syria to directly rescind Ford's right to enter the country, rather
than allowing such underhanded tactics to succeed. This is done to
show, not only the respect for the government of Syria, but also to
show a willingness to defend its own soverign decisions.
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