Maysaloon - ميسلون

I've just heard news that Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Damascus. That's quite an interesting development. It could signal the start of another series of measures against Assad's regime. Interestingly, I just heard on al Jazeera  a guest referring to the Gulf involvement with the Arab Spring because it recognised its "historic role". It's a blind man who would doubt that the Gulf, and in particular Saudi Arabia, are relishing the opportunity to topple the Syrian regime and weaken Iran's influence in the region. That doesn't mean that the Syrian revolution should fail. Far from it, it would be a good thing if Syrians were able to use this diplomatic tangle to topple Assad's dictatorship and squeeze a place for themselves that would allow a stronger, suppler, and more democratic country emerging.

This is not something new, Nasser used his non-aligned status to manipulate support from the Americans and the Soviets in a way that suited him. If Syrians can manage to steer their way between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and between the United States and Russia, to their advantage, then something very good can come out of all of this. In the short term this isn't going to help the situation, and there's going to be far more bloodshed.