It is even more so when it comes to Iraq, which is a large Arab country with scientific, material, and human resources and is able to accomplish, at the least, what Lebanon accomplished, and more.
As far as we are concerned, we Syria have not changed.
I am not a puppet. I was not made by the West to go to the West or to any other country.
Lebanon was under Israeli occupation, up to its capital, but we did not consider that a disaster. Why? Because it was very clear that there are ways to resist.
When our interests matched, the Americans have been good to us, and when the interests differed, they wanted us to mold ourselves to them, which we refused.
As soon as the legitimate Lebanese government is convinced that the conditions have ripened and that Lebanon is able to maintain stability on its own… Then, the Syrian forces will return to their homeland.
It is natural that we should always expect an Israeli attack, even when it does not threaten.
I am Syrian, I was made in Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria.
When we analyze this war in a materialistic way and ask when is it going to end and who will be the winner and the loser, it means that we do not see the endgame.
Despite the ethnic diversity within each nation, the social fabric of the region by and large is one.
The problem is not the occupation, but how people deal with it.
The problem with the West is that they start with political reform going towards democracy. If you want to go towards democracy, the first thing is to involve the people in decision making, not to make it.
America is interested in re-arranging the region as it sees fit.
We, in Syria, our point of view stems from our experience.
The most significant indicator that there is no disaster in Iraq is the fact that there is no exodus.
Armies are not only for offensives.
We believe that Lebanon has been the first real experience for all the Arabs.
You in Lebanon, your power is no match to Israel. Israel, militarily, is more powerful than you and maybe it is more powerful than all the Arab countries, or most of them.
No doubt that the U.S. is a super-power capable of conquering a relatively small country, but is it able to control it?
When Lebanon started its resistance it was a small and divided country.
We have more difficult circumstances than most of the Arab countries but in spite of that Syria is stable. Why? Because you have to be very closely linked to the beliefs of the people. This is the core issue.
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