Arab Disunity in Damascus

So I'm probably one of the first western journalists to live blog from an Arab Summit. The experience would be a lot more exciting if I was actually at the Arab Summit, and not in a smoke-filled holding pen for journalists about 3k away from the actual conference with no food, minimal water, and even less coffee. At least I was able to join the photo pool that was bussed into a hotel outside Damascus (where the event is being held) for a two-minute relay-race snapping pictures of Arab leaders. Say what you want about these guys, but at least they know how to dress.

Other than red-carpet style fashion commentary, there really isn't much to do at an Arab Summit. They are notoriously long on hot air and short on action. Please let me know if any of you can think of some major accomplishment that came from an Arab Summit. I'm having trouble myself.

That's not to say these gatherings are unimportant. They are like high school reunions, where attendees feign indifference even though they spent three months beforehand getting in shape and getting makeovers.

This year's host, Syria, has made a particular effort to look like it has moved up in the world. Cleaning crews gave the city one of the most thorough going overs its had since the Mongols sacked it in the 15th century. The government built a score of villas along the airport road to house princelings from the Gulf states, banned commercial flights, booked every four- and five-star hotel in town, and recalled all government-owned luxury cars for use by official delegations

There's more than just traditional Arab hospitality at work here. Syria is determined to break out of the international isolation and quasi-pariah status imposed upon it by the Bush administration and western countries that consider Syria to be a state sponsor of terrorism. The Syrian regime of President Bashar al Assad believes that it is the key to solving the major problems in the Middle East -- the Arab-Israeli conflict, the civil war in Iraq, and the political crisis in Lebanon. Critics say that Syria is helping cause many of those problems.

But it is Syria's role in Lebanon that is causing the most controversy among its Arab brethren. Some of them accuse Syria of mounting a campaign to bring down the American-supoprted Lebanese government with a string of attacks that have killed Lebanese politicians and journalists in order to regain control of its smaller neighbor. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, America's main allies in the region, refused to send high-level delegations to this year's summit, and Lebanon -- which still has no president thanks to the political crisis between the government and the Syrian-backed opposition -- sent no one at all.

Arab families normally keep their personal problems private, so such an open display of squabbling bodes ill for the future of the region: in the Middle East public disputes rarely remain polite. The split at the summit reflects the larger regional face-off between Israel, America and its Arab allies on the one hand and Syria, Iran and their militant proxies (Hamas and Hizbalalh) on the other. One fear is that some kind of war will break out now that the summit is out of the way. (Watch out for how Hizballah responds to the assassination last month of its operations chief Imad Mugniyah.) Another is that the Lebanese government will pay a price for spurning Syria's advances. It's been weeks since the last attack. Expect another soon.

--Andrew Lee Butters/Damascus