Jumblatt-Assad meet reflects shifting trends

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt’s visit to Damascus did not represent a dramatic development, but simply a confirmation of major trends shaping domestic and regional politics: Jumblatt’s defection from the March 14 alliance toward a centrist stance and Syria’s return to international prominence, a number of analysts told The Daily Star.

The Druze leader announced last August that he was leaving the March 14 camp, and since then he has performed a ritual of public apologies and reconciliations paving his return to Damascus, all of which made Wednesday’s sojourn somewhat anticlimactic, said Karam Karam, program director at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies.

Despite Jumblatt’s willingness to do whatever necessary to ingratiate himself again with Syria, President Bashar Assad still appears not to be welcoming Jumblatt back into the ranks of Damascus’ allies, said Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut. The visit occurred as somewhat of a surprise on Wednesday, with Jumblatt receiving the summons from Assad Tuesday night, Khashan added.