The effort to bring order to Syria is no longer the concern of 20 million Syrians, suffering from the worst disaster the region has known in years; the issue is now about peace and security for everyone.
Rice is striving to ensure the spreading of American hegemony in the region and consolidate its alliance with countries concerned with the war on terror.
There is a general feeling that the option of military intervention in Syria is no longer on the agenda for the Western powers, particularly the United States.
After five years of occupation, Iraq got nothing but more damages and destruction of its infrastructure, a fact that has led the Iraqi citizen to lose faith in the promises Bush made to him.