Lebanon, Syria hope for change under Obama (News Feature)

By Weedah Hamzah Nov 5, 2008, 9:07 GMT

Beirut- Now that the US has chosen Barack Obama as the 44th US president Lebanon and neighbouring Syria are hopeful that the new US administration will bring change to the region.

Though some analysts believe the change in the US foreign policy will not be immediate, but they believe that it will, eventually, take place - leading to a thaw in relations between Syria and the US.

'America now has chosen the change, and this change will reflect on us, here in Lebanon and Syria, may be not immediately, but definitely in the near future,' analyst George Alam told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in Beirut.

Alam expected an easing of tension that currently prevails between the US and Syria under the Obama administration, especially after the US raid on Syria last month.

'Based on the president-elect's statements, the next administration can be expected to focus on calming the situation across the Middle East, which includes soothing ties with Syria and lessening the tension on the Lebanese arena,' he said.

On October 26, 2008, a U.S. raid against a target on the Syrian side of the Iraqi border, worsened relations between Syria and the US.

The US said the target was a Syrian smuggling ring of Arab terrorists into Iraq. Syria's foreign minister lashed out at the attack and called it 'U.S. aggression against innocent civilians,' and demanded an apology.

Analysts in the Syrian capital agreed with Alam and said 'despite the increased tension between Damascus and the US, the time of change is approaching the region after the election of Obama.'

'I think that all Arabs, not just Syrians, preferred Obama over McCain,' said Sami Moubayed, a journalist and historian based in Damascus.

'Obama would not have a neo-conservative agenda for the region and is promising to right all the wrongs of the Bush administration, in Palestine, Iraq and Syria,' he added.

Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut, said 'it will take some time to reshape American foreign policy in general and to reshape American foreign policy in the Middle East.'

He said Lebanon was in a 'holding pattern' of sorts and outlined the concerns of the new American administration in the Middle East: 'first Iraq, second Iran, third Afghanistan, fourth Pakistan, and only fifth, really, is the Israeli-Arab conflict of which (Lebanon) is a part, and there too they are going to wait for the next Israeli leadership, which is going to be a number of months before they decide.'

Meanwhile, scenes on the Lebanese and Syrian streets on Wednesday were similar. People lined up at newspapers stands to read the latest on the election of Obama.

Ahmed Mousalli, a professor at the American University in Beirut, told dpa, that 'Obama would be more aware of the balance of regional powers and developments across the Middle East.'

Obama's policy in the Middle East was not as clearly outlined as that of Republican candidate John McCain, Obama had nonetheless displayed a 'fundamental change first in discourse, and second in the ability to engage with actors of the region,' Mousalli said.

Leila Tarabieh, a banker in Beirut and who stayed up to watch the vote all night, expects a 'definite change under the Obama administration.'

'We Lebanese hope we will bring a similar change at least in our next parliamentary election (due to in May 2009),' Tarabieh added.

But some Lebanese in Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, had different views regarding Obama's elections.

'The US will continue to back the Zionist state (Israel) and regard any movement against Israel as terrorist organization,' said Hassan Ballout,a Hezbollah follower.

'For us (Hezbollah) we see no change in the American foreign policy ... even if Obama, who has Muslim roots, was elected,' he added.

On their part, the Syrians expressed hope for stability in their country in Obama's term.

'What is important for me is my country. I want to go to work knowing Syria is stable, living peacefully and is not in danger of being attacked anytime,' said Qassem, an employee in a public company.