Figureheads

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7021986.stm

HRP:
Is the President of Syria a puppet too, or does he have actual authority / power? Interestingly, all this development isn't much reported in the US media at all. Maybe it's just my limited reading of US media...

DMA:
Assad is not a puppet and is the one with the real power in Syria.
Honestly, I'm a bit surprised even BBC is reporting it (mostly just because their reporter had an exclusive with him), as Syria saying the Golan has to be part of any comprehensive peace agreement and the US hosting a "peace conference"/PR stunt that isn't going to accomplish anything are both old news

HRP:
Does Syria actually care about Golan? I thought you once told me that Israel occupies some land of Syria that Syria doesn't really care about? Or is it Jordan? Or Egypt?

I think it's surprising that Bush is even trying to have a "PR stunt" of this Mideast Conference. Seeing that nothing substantive on the Israel-Palestine issue will possibly be accomplished in the remaining of his presidency, Bush should really stop getting his paws into too many puddles of water, adding more items on his "failed to get done" list.

Maybe he just wants to say that he's tried and that it's these Axis of Evil countries that aren't cooperating, but at this point, who's even giving him the benefit of the doubt anymore...

DMA:
As a substantive issue, Syria doesn't care too much about the Golan; however, as a symbolic issue any Israel/Syria detente will require some sortof "joint" final status decision. You may not like the sink hole in your backyard, but if your neighbor whose dog has been shitting on your lawn just comes over and claims it as his you cannot just say "oh well, I didn't even want it".

The conference is because he and Condi were taking shit for having:
1) told the Palestinians the US was going to freeze the peace process until they hold elections,
2) cutting off aid when the wrong guys (Hamas) got elected,
3) then not doing anything substantive after the guys they wanted to win(Fatah) staged a successful coup against Hamas.

So in order to kick the can down the road and undercut any pressure on Israel/US for the new peace process they promised 2 years ago, they decided they would hold these bs meetings (because if you say "why aren't you doing anything" they can just keep saying "we are having a meeting about it, so you have to wait until after the meeting before you can complain about a lack of outcome").

At this point Israel/Palestine is a big enough issue that it goes on everyPresident's success/failure list no matter how much they actually engage.

HRP:
Speaking of this US/Israel "acts in support" of the Fatah government, what with the recent Israeli release of Palestinian prisoners and all I seriously think that the US and Israel have just gotta stop with this supporting-one-side-to-undercut-the-other bullshit. From the cold war & Bin Laden's Al Qaeda/Taliban to India & Pakistan to different coups in Africa and South America, this funding-your-lesser-enemy strategy has turned out to be nothing but utter disasters and often comes back to bite one's own ass.

DMA:
Agreed in practice, but not as much in theory. The problem the US faces isn't picking sides as much as their tendency to kick people to the curb the minute they are no longer immediately useful and then wonder why the people they screwed over are pissed off.

Playing empire is a game of chess - you have to see five moves down the road - that the US plays like a game of checkers - taking the jump in front of you.