The tiny nation of Syria has been a hotbed of controversy in the Middle East since before modern times. Ever since the days of the rise of Islam, Syria has long been the focal point for a vast array of political, economic, religious and military issues and now once again, the tiny country has risen to prominence in international affairs. Syria has been labeled a strong supporter of terrorism and most recently has been accused of harboring fugitive members of Saddam Hussein's government as well as possession weapons of mass destruction. Now, with a large force of U.S. troops on its southern border, Syria has a choice, either cooperate or possibly suffer the same fate as Iraq.
Since the United States has concentrated some of its political might on Syria, the country has slowly begun to rethink its position. Accused of harboring former leaders of Saddam Hussein's government, Syria who had strongly denied those claims, has now handed over members of the former Iraqi regime who had attempted to cross over into Syria. That still doesn't account for any members of the former Iraqi government who might have already made their way prior to the accusations made by the United States. It has been rumored that a large number of Saddam Hussein's family, including his wife, has fled to Syria and still remain there. It is difficult to say how many others have made their refuge in Syria and whether or not the Syrian government will acknowledge that those members of Saddam's regime are in their country. Right now they are saying that there aren't any members of the former regime in Syria.
The United States has also said that Syria has a thriving weapons of mass destruction in place and evidence does show that Syria does indeed have these capabilities. The United States now has a new focus on Syria and has cited their weapons of mass destruction as a negative impact on peace in the region. So will the U.S. take an active role in pressuring Syria to give up its weapons of mass destruction much like it did in Iraq? Syria appears to be keeping those weapons as either a deterrent to any attack by Israel (defensive posture) or as weapons to "punish" Israel (offensive posture) and their possession of these weapons clearly represents a danger to the Middle East peace process. The United States and other countries may begin pressure on Syria to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction program or face certain serious consequences.
