I was at a cafe in Damascus having lunch when an older German women said something to me in German.  I understood the gist of what she was asking but I responded in English.  She looked at my with a puzzled look and asked me where I was from and I told her, "the USA."  She said in a sarcastic way, "I thought you Americans were not allowed to visit countries that are part of the Axis of Evil."  I quickly replied, "Well technically Syria is not an Axis of Evil country, it is a rogue nation.  It is like being a little brother and never getting any recognition and having to go to bed early."  She continued to look at me in a puzzled way as she walked away from my table.  Obscure political humor never goes over well but it amuses me and that's all that counts.

I found everywhere that I went that Syrians and other travelers were surprised that I was from America.  Other than tour groups which are usually quite isolated, there are not many independent travelers that hail from the USA in Syria.  People were very nice and always had questions for me. "Did I like their country?" or "Did I like Obama?" but I was surprised when one Syrian asked me why "Americans hated his country."  We had a long conversation about Americans not hating his country but how we were concerned with the actions of the government.  I had to laugh when he responded, "Oh, we are the same then.  We have many questions about our government too."  Too often we cloud the actions of one's government with its people. 

I am not sure where our foreign policy will go with Syria over the next year but it will be one that has to be delicately crafted.   I am not opposed to sanctions and direct rhetoric with Syria but I can't imagine creating comic book categories for countries is effective foreign policy.  I am not sure former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton's adding Syria to the category of "Rogue Nations" was effective but at least Superman, Batman and the other guys at the Justice League now know who the bad guys are. 

As President Obama's envoys engage in their second visit to Syria since the beginning of the year, a decision on whether we will reinstate our US Ambassador in Damascus will be on the table. Not having an Ambassador leaves an important void of American influence in this region.  Just at the end of the week, Obama announced that he would continue the sanctions that were instituted during the Bush administration. The action squarely announces that if the Syrians want to change the relationship, they will have to show meaningful change and not the status quo.

In the end, it is really time for Syria to decide which direction they want to head.  They can not continue to play both sides of the fence. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is often quoted about wanting a stronger relationship with the US and peace with Israel but then the next day he is promoting a nuclear Iran.  If Syria was serious about stabilizing the region, they could be a key mediator and instrumental in the process.  Their influence with Tehran is an important piece of the puzzle, as we work on direct diplomacy with Iran.  The next few months will be telling which direction Syria and the US will head under the Obama administration.