Arab media on the Pelosi visit

Amy K. Rosenthal's Weekly Standard column offers a sampling of Arab media reaction to Nancy Pelosi's trip to Damascus.  Pelosi's Middle East tour was roundly criticized in the United States as undermining U.S. foreign policy. The Arab media would seem to agree.

The Tunisian newspaper Al-Shurouq claimed that Pelosi's visit "asserts the existence of two American states; all of them are trying to achieve strategic interests of the U.S. in different ways."

Somewhat tongue in cheek, Amir Taheri, in an op-ed for Arab News cited the remarks made to him by a Lebanese minister who said, "Her visit was a godsend to an isolated and beleaguered regime. The Syrian regime, which had been thinking of bowing to international pressure, is now reassured. All it has to do is to wait until Pelosi's party takes over the White House in 2009." Another editorial in Lebanon's, Daily Star, concurred, saying, "Her visit has given Damascus great hopes of a rebalancing of US policy in the region."

That would imply concurrence with the view that Pelosi is guilty of violating the Logan Act.

Update:  As commenter Kristin points out below, the Weekly Standard article had incorrectly attributed one of the above quotes to an editorial in The Daily Star.  The last sentence in the excerpt above now appears in the Weekly Standard as follows:

Another editorial in Lebanon's, the Daily Star, cited the Syria Times that reported: "Her visit has given Damascus great hopes of a rebalancing of U.S. policy in the region," which it deemed as nothing short of fantasy.

Comments

[endorendil]

Sorry, I had to laugh. The Logan Act. On the books for over two centuries. Despite civil war, WWII and Vietnam it was never, ever used to prosecute anyone. Even Nixon never used it! Not even Jane Fonda, who was practically begging for it, was even indicted under it. And Pelosi would be convicted under it. Don't make me laugh. Oh, sorry, too late.

[Tom Bowler]

Jane was not Speaker of the House. Nobody ever thought she was trying to conduct foreign policy. Nancy, on the other hand, is in a position that has the potential of affecting U.S. policy. For her to negotiate with a foreign power from a standpoint that hers will be the prevailing foreign policy view after the next election is a problem -- not that I think she will be indicted.

[Kristin]

Ms. Rosenthall's article miscorrectly attributed the above quote to an editorial in The Daily Star. The editorial in question was merely quoting a Syrian publication and took a different view of Pelosi's visit. The Weekly Standard has corrected the article and has an updated version on their Web site.