U.S.-Syrian relations on the mend?

Today Senator John Kerry met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. Kerry, who co-sponsored the Syria Accountability Act of 2003, which imposed numerous sanctions on the Arab state, appears to have had a change of heart. Increasing U.S. interest in improved relations with Syria is no doubt a byproduct of the region's two major geopolitical challenges. Syria finds itself uniquely positioned to play an important role in the Arab-Israeli peace process and the Iranian nuclear issue. During his visit, Senator Kerry remarked that the U.S. and Syria possess “a mutual interest in having a very frank exchange on any differences that may exist, but also on the many, many agreements that we have about the possibilities of peace in this region.”