Syria and the Exchange of Sincere Advice
When caught, criminals, regardless of the gravity of their crime, will steer away from their former lifestyle and the behavior that led them to prison, because they have no other choice but to wait for their sentence. Until then, they have time to look into themselves and reconsider. Either they admit their guilt and confess their crimes, thereby obtaining the court”s mercy, or they insist on their mistakes and receive their punishment, which may not be limited to a lifetime in prison, and differs from one judicial system to another. However, in Saudi Arabia, for example, an experiment has been developed, giving those who were involved in terrorist activities, after having been led astray and brainwashed, a chance to look into themselves and return to the right path. They call this the exchange of sincere advice, and it is based on questioning the reasons that led them astray, and on showing how these contradict the bases of true Islam, on the basis that everyone deserves a second chance, even if they have been proven guilty.
Of course, Saudi Arabia”s officials know that, from among those included in the exchange of sincere advice, there are some who could truly be convinced, after being exposed to arguments and supporting evidence, and would chose to become moderate in their behavior and to steer away from the reasons that led them astray, and that there are also others who will claim to be convinced simply to obtain attenuating circumstances that could lead to their release. In fact, it has already happened for security forces to arrest terrorists who had previously been incarcerated and released by virtue of that system, after having pledged not to return to their past transgressions.
What applies to individuals also applies to states. After the assassination of Rafic Hariri, a "sentence" was issued by the Lebanese people, as well as by the Arab and International communities, condemning the manner in which Syria dealt with Lebanon over the course of three decades. Its army withdrew from Lebanon, and Syria became subjected to political isolation by the Arab states and the international community. Additionally, it came under the pressure of demands that it moderate and correct its behavior, as well as establish normal relations with its small neighbor, based on parity and on the respect of borders and sovereignty. However, Damascus has not conformed, and has continued to interfere, directly and indirectly, in Lebanon”s internal affairs, with the help of its Lebanese allies. It has persisted in pressuring Lebanon”s brittle democratic system and its security, by opening the borders to arm Hezbollah and others, and by insisting on considering Lebanon a "subordinate" that should commit to what serves Syria”s interests, while waiting for the international community to "get tired" of pursuing the issue, or for its "mood and rulers to change".
The response to such stubbornness was the maintaining of isolation and pressures, until the opening of the French "exchange of sincere advice". The latter is an attempt to convince Syria that returning to normalized international relations is contingent on a series of steps that it must take to prove to the international community that it has truly changed its behavior and become "convinced" of the necessity of allowing Lebanon to restore its stability. Despite the amount of Syrian troops gathered at Lebanon”s northern border and the talk of "focal spots of terrorism" in its second largest city, Tripoli, Damascus has agreed to establish diplomatic relations with its neighbor, which is an important symbolic step, although it is still eluding, under various pretexts, the decision of the complete delimitation of its borders with Lebanon.
Some have seen a "good omen" in Syria”s decision, and have called for completing it with additional steps, not the least of which would be shutting off the "faucet" of weapons smuggling. Nevertheless, the real results of the French exchange of sincere advice may be awaiting the test of the final report of the Investigation Commission into the Hariri Assassination and the nearing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.