US Ambassador’s visit garners mixed response in Syria
U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford’s visit to Syria has drawn the condemnation of the Assad regime. Ford visited the city of Hama, a center of anti-Assad sentiment, where pro-democracy activists greeted him with flowers and olive branches. Meanwhile, in Damascus, pro-Assad demonstrators hurled rocks and eggs at the U.S. Embassy, protesting Ford’s visit. What was the thinking behind the ambassador’s visit and will it have a lasting effect on the situation in the country? Richard Murphy, who was U.S. Ambassador to Syria from 1974 to 1978, gives his analysis of the situation.
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