Walid Jumblatt is one of the wiliest and least predictable politicians in the
In 2007, for example, he publicly referred to Bashar al-Assad — the Syrian dictator and son of the previous Syrian dictator, Hafez al-Assad, who was most likely responsible for the assassination of Walid's father, Kamal, in 1977 — as a "monkey, snake and a butcher." Now Jumblatt is saying, in effect, oops, I didn't mean it:
"In a moment of anger I said inappropriate and illogical comments against him (Assad). Can
This is one of the more notable attempts at a retraction in recent history, but, aside from its comic value, it does have some geopolitical significance. Jumblatt, as I mentioned, is known above all for being a survivor, and if he now feels compelled to distance himself from the March 14 coalition (something he has been doing to some degree since 2008) and to propitiate Bashar al-Assad, it is an indication that the balance of power in the
Jumblatt knows which way the wind is blowing. This most sensitive of weather vanes indicates that American interests in the region are suffering serious setbacks. But the administration is probably too busy beating up on our most reliable ally in the area to notice.
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment