What levers could Syria use during peace talks to retrieve the Golan Heights?
Syria has cultivated a number of “cards” to play in order to pressure Israel to return the Golan Heights and come to the negotiating table. These cards are ideological, military, and diplomatic. Ideologically, Syria is the only Arab country that continues to advocate pan-Arab nationalism with any vigor. Pan-Arabism serves to deny the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the midst of the Arab homeland. Likewise, the Syrian government insists on the notion of “Arab Rights.” By promoting Arab identity, Damascus reminds Middle Easterners that Israel and its western supporters are in violation of the rights of the Arab people through the occupation of their land. The Syrian government tries to forestall the emergence of local, territory-based, national sentiment for fear that Arabs will forget their struggle against Israel and cease caring about Syria’s fight for the Golan. By preserving a sense of pan-Arab duty in fighting Israel, Damascus undercuts the efforts of America’s “moderate” allies (E
