The Obama Administration appointed Robert Ford to serve as American ambassador to Syria this week, the first time the United States has had such a representative in Damascus since 2005. Answering criticism that this will reward the country for bad behavior, the Washington Times reports that the Administration believes the move will "help persuade the country to change its policies regarding Israel, Lebanon, Iraq and its support for extremist groups."
This rationale is utter nonsense and it exhibits the same ass-backwards understanding of the nature of rogue regimes that led the Clinton and Bush administrations to make their respective nuclear agreements with North Korea.
To wit, sending an ambassador to Syria to cause that regime to change its behavior cannot fail to fail because we have already conceded to them prior to any change in behavior.
If anything the Administration's action will only encourage Damascus to persist in its perfidy. Having garnered a concession without having had to make one themselves, they will take away from this only the knowledge that only the hope of a change in their behavior is required to get carrots, no actual change necessary.
Washington can follow one line of conduct if it wants Syria to desist its antics in the Middle East: make it known to Assad that rewards will be given for positive changes in behavior when, and only when, those changes in behavior actually occur. Until that moment nothing will be forthcoming.
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