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1. Keep doing what we are doing on the diplomatic and public diplomacy fronts.
2. Keep doing what I hope we are doing on the intelligence and special operations fronts to gather information and upset any Syrian plans to act as puppetmaster from behind the scenes.
3. Build up the Lebanese Army as a counterweight to Syria and Hizbullah. On paper, the Syrians, Egyptians and Saudis have large armies equipped with modern weapons (in the Syrian case, relatively modern, as they are a generation or two behind). The Lebanese Army, however, is qualitatively the best Arab army there is. It has what the others lack: capable, dedicated NCOs and officers.
4. Undermine the Ba'athist regime in Damascus to bring about its collapse, if possible. Overthrow it, if necessary. Work on Turkey and Jordan diplomatically to step up pressure. With a free Iraq and a free Lebanon, and pro-Western governments in Amman and Ankara, Syria will be boxed in.
5. Ultimately, the twin nests of Islamofascism are in Riyadh and Tehran, the Wahhabi Sunni version in the former and the Khomeinist Shi'ite version in the latter. I am hopeful that non-coercive means will work - Iran's mullocracy is extremely unpopular with the generally pro-Western Iranian masses - but I cannot say that I am optimistic.
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