Syria: The Fallout from the Al-Hariri Report

The U.N. report on the investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri finally was released Oct. 21. Since the report provides the United States with a tool to threaten Syria with military action if it does not actively cooperate in halting insurgent traffic streaming into Iraq from Syria, Syrian President Bashar al Assad will engage in behind-the-scenes negotiations with Washington to prevent Syria's Alawite-Baathist regime from crumbling. Evidence of these back-channel talks became apparent with the release of the U.N. report, which made several glaring omissions — including leaving out the name of former Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan.