Is Syria Next?, page 2

I doubt that the US will directly attack Syria in the next 24-36 months for a number of reasons:

1. Syria is a regional threat, not an international threat. Syria's threat to the US is limited to funding a protecting small, anti-Israeli terrorist groups. The Assad's have been careful not to get into bed with the likes of Bin Laden and others who spout Wahabiism. After all, Syria is a predominately Sunni Muslim state with conservative values. Syria greatly prefers to attempt to sabotage Israel's prosperity while staying under the US's radar.

2. Because of Syria's long history of conflict with Israel, the US would prefer to not have to deal with Syria directly. If we did, it would certainly alienate every single Arab country on the planet, who would see us as Israeli "lackeys" doing the dirty work of Sharon. In reality, the US would prefer to deal with Syria's misdeeds and naughty behavior behind the scenes, moving them in the right direction by using a combination of sanctions (both public and private), black ops, threats, and maybe even financial, security or economic incentives. These tactics seem to be working with Libya and other delinquent states.

3. The US is not ready and/or will to engage in another planned major military conflict. GWB's approval rating is already suffering because of the long campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and soldiers dying every day isn't helping. He has already show that he is capable of waging war for a cause and effectively dismantling rogue states, now he must show us that he is a skilled diplomat and manipulator of states to obtain our national security objectives. He cannot afford to be labeled as a war-monger any further. I suspect that despite the capture of Saddam, he is going to take a major beating during the upcoming election, and despite what others think, I doubt he will be re-elected.