Syria has handed over Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al-Tikriti, a prominent leader of the Baathist insurgency and number 36 in the deck of Iraq’s most wanted who had a one million dollar bounty on his head. Al-Hassan is Saddam’s half brother and brother in law (So THAT's how it is in their family...), Iraq’s former Director of Intelligence and the General Security Directorate, governor of occupied Kuwait (1990-1991) for security affairs, and presidential advisor to Saddam. An Iraqi citizen indictment of Iraq’s most wanted tells some horrifying stories of al-Hassan’s modus operandi when dealing with Iraqi citizens (page 8). His capture and imprisonment is a welcome development for the prospects for peace in Iraq and justice for the Iraqi people.

Al-Hassan was turned over with twenty-nine other members of the insurgency, and will provide further intelligence on the Baathist terrorists operating in both Iraq and Syria. No doubt Syria is feeling the pressure of recent events, and decided to turn over al-Hassan and company to stall for time and appease the United States. Make no mistake, the pressure is on Syria.

Israel claims it has proof Syria is complicit in the recent terrorist attack on a Tel Aviv nightclub, and is taking its case to the United Nations Security Council, the U.S., Britain and France. Senior Israeli defense officials are threatening to attack Syria over the Tel Aviv bombing. Syria is also under enormous pressure from groups that have not shown a willingness to cooperate on the international stage during the past several years. France, the U.N. and the U.S. are all demanding Syria withdraw from Lebanon in light of the unrest in that country after the murder of Mr. Harari.

The Lebanese are getting bold. Protestors claim they will defy the threat of force and conduct their protest against the Syrian occupation. A statue of the late President of Syria, Hafez Assad, has been destroyed. There are reports that even Hezbollah is considering distancing itself from its Syrian master in Lebanon.

Syria is attempting to deflect the pressure by claiming it supports the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, turning of al-Hassan and stating it will withdraw from Lebanon (while not issuing a specific timetable). Syria has also called for direct talks with the United States: “The only way to do this is through dialogue,” says Syrian President Bashir Assad. These are not the actions of a nation working from a position of strength.

As Walid Jumblatt, the Druze Muslim Leader of the Lebanese opposition stated, “this process of change has started because of the American invasion of Iraq… it was the start of a new Arab world. The Syrian people, the Egyptian people, all say that something is changing.” News from Egypt is that democratic elections will be held for the office of President this fall.

While the Left still focuses on Wars for Oil and pipelines, the revenge of the stupid son, phony death tolls in Iraq, American Imperialism, LIES about WMD, BusHitler’s failed diplomacy and a host of other nonsense, real change is occurring in the Middle East - democratic change from Afghanistan and Iraq to Lebanon and Egypt. Perhaps the Left can explain how these changes would have occurred without the commitment to fight in Iraq.

Maybe, like the case with Libya’s abdication of its WMD program, they will (wrongly) claim this was the culmination of years of quiet, behind the scenes diplomacy. Walid Jumblatt, no friend of the United States or the West, disagrees. No doubt Bashir Assad and the Syrian Baathist mafia disagree as well. The Middle Eastern tyrants and murderers have shrugged off years of diplomatic niceties and gentle words. Less than twenty months after the fall of Saddam the region is encountering unimaginable change. It is no coincidence, but the result of making difficult sacrifices to change a region of the world that only knows the language of force.