TEHRAN - Khaled Manzlawi, the Assistant Secretary-General for International Political Affairs at the Arab League, just recently met with Syria’s permanent representative to the Arab League at the pro-Arab headquarters in Cairo.  

During the meeting, the assistant congratulated the Syrian delegate on assuming his position at the Arab League, stressing the importance of working collectively to achieve the organization’s goals to enhance the process of joint Arab action. 
Dan Kovalic, a professor of international human rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, tells the Tehran Times that the Arab League has just realized that it cannot sideline Syria. 
“They know that their attempt to oust Assad has failed,” the professor says.

Here is the full text of interview:

Syria one day was suspended from the Arab league and today is again welcomed by the league. How should this be interpreted?

We have a saying in the United States – if you can’t beat them, join them.  This saying applies well to this situation.  A number of Arab League countries – most notably, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar – attempted to overthrow the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad with the help of the US, Israel and Turkey.  Without the intervention of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, this attempt may have succeeded, but ultimately it did not.  Now that the Arab League sees that Assad’s government is secure and is not going away, it has decided to invite Syria back into the fold.  

Bashar Assad travels to different Arab capitals. Are Arab leaders satisfied with Assad remaining in power?

I’m not sure that the Arab leaders are “satisfied” with Assad remaining in power, but they are resigned to it.  They know that their attempt to oust Assad has failed, and they recognize this.  Now, they understand that they need to reunite with Syria to work together addressing issues of common concern, such as the continued oppression of the Palestinian people by Israel.  I think that there is some regret among some of the Arab League countries about how much they became conduits of Western attempts to control and even destroy the Middle East.  They are now waking up to the need to act in the interest of the region and not in the interest of the West which has no concern for the people of the Arab or Muslim world.  In order to successfully change this shift away from the West, the Arab nations will seek closer relations with Russia, China and Iran.  This represents the biggest challenge to Western hegemony in some time.

 How Syria’s return to the Arab body will resonate for Israel?

This normalization of relations with Syria, and with Iran as well, does not bode well for Israel.  It is clear now that the countries of the Middle East are uniting against Israel and in support of the Palestinians.  This, on top of the fact that the Palestinians are uniting amongst themselves, and that Israel is suffering from severe, internal political divisions, represents a perfect storm for Israel and its continued attempts to dominate the Palestinian people.  This is especially the case because the Arab League will find willing support in Russia, China and Iran to challenge Israel.

How will Washington redefine its strategy against Syria after normalization?

Sadly, it does not appear that the US’s strategy against Syria will change as the result of any of this. Indeed, there are reports that the US, which is still occupying one-third of Syria, is beginning to re-organize and re-arm the terrorist organizations it originally used to try to destabilize Syria. In short, the US seems to be doubling-down on its anti-Syrian strategy of the past decade.  In addition, it is quite unlikely that the US will decrease its support for Israel and its occupation of Palestine and the Golan Heights.  If anything, the US may even increase its support for Israel and its desire for expansion in the region.  Of course, this will have a direct impact on Syria.  In short, the US will not give up on its attempt to control the Middle East, and it will act aggressively to take on Russian and Chinese influence in the region and to assist Israel in maintaining control over the territory it now controls.  

How will Syria’s relationship with the Resistance movement look like after it comes back to the Arab League?

I believe Syria’s relationship with the Resistance movement will only intensify now.  It is my perception that Syria will increase its support for Palestine, Hezbollah and its resistance to the US and Israel.  One form this will take is Syria’s attempt to re-take the Golan Heights.  I think Israel itself will become more isolated in the region and find it harder to retain its grip over Palestine and the Golan Heights.  The worst fear of the US and Israel is being realized – a united Arab world assisted by Russia, China and Iran.  Syria will most certainly take advantage of this shift in the balance of forces.