Middle East scholar and Syria watcher Tony Badran has a great article in the latest issue of The Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA). It's part of a symposium featuring several excellent pieces by authors like Dr. Barry Rubin, Patrick Clawsen, and David Schenker, all on the subject of "An Obama Administration in the Middle East."Badran's article is "Syria sets its traps for the Obama Administration." Tony opens our eyes to why Syria is licking its chops at the prospect of negotiations with the United States under President Obama: The problem is that Syria's priorities are basically at odds with those of the United States. These main goals including preserving a strong relationship with Iran--which many in the West think they can break--controlling Lebanon, projecting influence into Iraq, locking Israel in a proxy war of attrition, dominating the Palestinian question, and undermining Jordan. Since Iran shares and furthers these goals, the common...(Read Full Post)