Return of the American Ambassador to Damascus

After nearly six years of absence, the Obama administration decided to return the U.S. ambassador to Damascus while Congress was out of session for its yearly break.

The decision to appoint the ambassador was made by the president last February; however, his appointment was hindered by Republicans and other members of Congress hostile to Syria, who believe that sending an ambassador to Syria would be considered a reward. This is a flaw in their understanding of the issue.

American Ambassador Robert Ford has worked in a number of Arab states, speaks Arabic and is considered among those diplomats that truly know the region. Thus, his presence allows the two parties to discuss many of the issues that concern the two nations in a direct and clear manner.

The U.S. recognizes the role of Syria in stabilizing the region and its domestic and foreign policies as a moderate secular state. These factors encourage Obama to take the lead in sending an ambassador whom the conservatives refused, despite the approval of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The presence of the American ambassador in Damascus will allow the Obama administration to hear a perspective that differs from what it normally hears from its allies in the region and will offer information necessary to form a balanced policy that is both rational and equitable.

The presence of the American ambassador in Damascus is a mutual interest and not a reward from the United States. Rather, it can be said that after the reasons behind the estrangement between the two nations were revealed, the American interest in sending its ambassador to Damascus is greater than the Syrian interest.