| Syrian Foreign Policy under Bashar al-Asad |
| Raymond Hinnebusch, Professor, Director of the Centre for Syrian Studies |
 Syrian foreign policy under Bashar al-Asad is pulled in contrary directions by Syria’s traditional Arab nationalist stance and the West-centric imperatives of its economic reform program. The conflict with Israel and the US invasion of Iraq stimulate continuing nationalist resistance but the success of Syria’s move to a market economy requires integration into the world capitalist system, dominated by the US hegemon. This essay examines Bashar’s foreign policy inheritance from his father, the political economy determinants of his policies, his reform project, Syria’s policy toward Israel, its defiance of the US over Iraq, its involvement in Lebanon, and the broader struggle for the Middle East of which Syria is a part. |