Bashar Al-assad Balance Diplomacy (2000.7-2008.7)

Under the 30-year rule of Hafiz al-Asad, Syria became an influential political power with its balance diplomacy though it has a limited economic resource and military power. In July, 2000, Bashar al-Asad succeeded his father and became president of Syria. Under the capricious strategy environment, Bashar made a series of adjustment to his father's script of balance diplomacy, and sought to obtain some breakthrough in the peace process, Lebanon, regional balance and relations with Washington. But discrepancy in Iraq war and relations with Hezbollah made Syrian interest in collision with Washington which directly entailed Syrian withdraw from Lebanon. Though the war in 2006 reclaimed the losses for Syria, Bashar noticed he can earn some more benefit from retracing the peace process in order to resume relations with Washington and it's the essence for realizing the strategical goal of Syria. This thesis is meant to present the effect to Syrian Strategical goal through analyzing the three-period balance diplomacy used by Bashar. The main part of this thesis is the adjustment Bashar made to resist Washington's sanction. This thesis concluded that though Syria has reversed the initial disadvantage situation, Bashar still has to adjust Syrian diplomacy based on balance.