1. Border conflicts

The Arab states in the Middle East region seem to be artificial states in their character as national states as well as in the shape of their territory. Indeed, the most influential causes of interstate conflicts are controversial borders and territories and by this the right of disposal over resources of central importance like water and oil. The current borders and territories were established by the European colonial powers Great Britain and France during the First World War. Especially the state building in the Middle East had strong effects towards the division of traditional economic links and common cultural heritages, so that the there-living population does not have a national identity. Besides that, the states suffer from strategic disadvantages and resulting conflicts.
On May 16th 1916, in the British-French-Russian Sykes-Picot-Agreement Great Britain and France ensure their influence zones in the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The Sykes-Picot-Agreement which served as a basis for the division of the Middle East, stood contradictory to obligation of the British against their Arab allies. For the engagement against the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain has pledged the establishment of an independent Arab empire. But also a second declaration of intent, the Balfour Declaration from November 1917, guarantied the creation of a national homeplace for the Jews in Palestine.
The territorial conflicts are consequences of the artificial state establishment during colonial times and mandate administration. The ability to survive for states was not taken into consideration in a sufficient manner so the borders are potentially at disposal.

2. The historical extension of Syria

By an historical perspective Syria extends over a territory on which nowadays four states are situated: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, additional are the Gaza stripe and the southern part of Turkey. Due to the valuable strategic situation of Syria and a high cultural standard of the population, there were always centres of powers situated.
Since June 23rd 1939, the former Syrian province Alexandrite became Turkish. Syria lost harbours and a connection to Europe. The lost of Alexandrite is not accepted by Syria till in the present. The last territorial change was the occupation of the Golan Heights by Israel in the Third Arab-Israeli war.
All regimes after the Syrian independence requested a right to say in matters concerning Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. So the concept of Great Syria is of importance in the foreign policy of Syria.
A special case of foreign policy is the relation of Syria and the Lebanon which is basically about the strategy of Syria pursuant to the Great Syria Concept to re-include Lebanon. Four month after the beginning of the Lebanese civil war (conducted from 1975 till 1990), the Syrian armed forces march in the conflict area. The official reasoning was to force the fighting religious groups on the negotiation table. Assad has got the mandate of the Arab League and also the approval of the West to secure the region and even until today about 35.000 Syrian soldiers stand there.

3. The Arab-Israeli conflict

After the proclamation of Israel, 14.5.1948, the Arab-Israeli conflict is the most constant and the deepest conflict in the Middle East. In the core of the conflict is the claim of two people on the same territory. The establishment of a non-Arab state in the center of the Arab world is not acceptable from the perspective of Islamic and Panarab ideals, the importance of the disputed region was enhanced by the religious places there (for Muslims, Jerusalem is the third holiest place after Mecca and Medina).
Israel is a symbol for the Arabs. Its existence shows the artificial and arbitrary state building in the Middle East. The Balfour Declaration was perceived as a political development against Arab interests (against the obligation to the Arab allies in the war against the Ottoman Empire). The partition plan of the UN (GA/Res/181) and the till today lasting support of the West, especially of the USA, for Israel illustrates the inability of the Arabs to stop or change the process of the foreign dominance in the Middle East region.

4. Relations to other Arab states

Syria and the Mullah Regime in Iran have contradictory ideologies, but they do not fight against each other. According to the teachings of Khomeini, only Islamic scholars are able to interpret the "will of God" from the Koran and the Sharia to establish a truly Islamic state. By their ability to recognize the order willed by God, Islamic scholar have to govern the countries, secular politicians must not take these positions.
At the beginning of the 1980s, the Iraqi leader Sadam Hussein was strongly supported by western weapon supplies and became an existential threat to the Mullah Regime in Iran. During the same year an alliance between Syria and Iran was achieved, because Assad saw it as a serious possibility that Iraq would get more powerful after a victory over Iran. So Syria became a transit country for weapon supplies from the Mediterranean Sea harbours by plane to Iran. The different ideologies did not matter any more.
In 1997, the Iraq and Syria started to re-establish the first mutual diplomatic relationships after 1980 that included the reopening of border crossing-points and the encouragement of bilateral trade. The immediate cause was an agreement between Turkey and Israel about military and economic cooperation in 1996.
Between Syria and Turkey are tensions about the course of the northern border, because Syria claims its former province Alexandrite with the cities Antiochus and Iscenderun. Another reason for tensions with Turkey and common interests of Iraq and Syria, according to the water conflict point, is the construction of huge dams in South-East Anatolia which will cause droughts in huge parts of the Near East. So water is used as a political weapon by a militarily strong Turkey to set Iraq and Syria under pressure.

5. Relations to the superpowers

The USA supports Israel and on the other side radical Arab states, the PLO and the Soviet Union stood in confrontation against the American-Israeli coalition. Comprehensive weapon supplies have signed the American special relations to Israel. But also there exists a special diplomatic relation, the USA stops always sanctions against Israel in the frame of the UN.
Soviet Union provides economic and military help for Syria, till today Syria owes 15 billion US-Dollars resulting from military help initiatives. Nowadays, the relations to the United States on a diplomatic level are minimal with only few bilateral meetings. Syria is on the American list of state sponsors of terrorism. After the incidence of September 11th, Syria and other countries of the Arab League condemn the attacks on the United States and expressed their sympathy with the victims.
France, the former colonial power, has even in the present close ties with Syria. Officially the French government encourages the current modernization processes in Syria and supports an association agreement between Syria and the European Union. France is the most important import and the third largest export partner of Syria. But there are also close bilateral relations in cultural and academic fields.

"I would like to assure you that Syria should remain, as it has always been, in the forefront of those who defend international legitimacy and the Charter of the United Nations and will exert every possible effort during its membership of the Security Council to contribute to preserving international peace and security."

Farouk Al-Shara