It has become increasingly clear that Syria plays a pivotal role in Middle East politics. It has influence over -- some say control of -- Lebanese politics, and its support for insurgents -- "freedom fighters" is Damascus' preferred term -- elsewhere in the region makes it a key interlocutor when trying to solve regional problems.
But that support and its heavy hand in Lebanon have encouraged other governments to shun Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The dilemma was plainly visible when Lebanese demonstrated against suspected Syrian involvement in the assassination of one of their politicians while the new government in Baghdad ended a diplomatic rift with Damascus that spanned two decades.
Syria has long considered Lebanon a buffer zone between itself and Israel. It supports groups such as Hezbollah, a militant Islamic group, to pressure Tel Aviv to return land seized in the 1967 war. Successive governments in Beirut have owed their power to Syria and acted in its interests. More ominously, whenever anti-Syrian politicians achieve prominence, they meet grim ends. In February 2005, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a bitter opponent of Syrian interests in his country, was killed by a massive car bomb. The complexity of the attack suggested Syrian involvement. A United Nations investigation reached the same conclusions: one report blamed Syria's military intelligence chief and the brother-in-law of Mr. Assad. Syria has denied any involvement.