Adnan Iskandar in the News

 

International News Media

April, 2005

• The Seattle Times of April 4 reported on the imminent Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. After meeting with Syria’s top officials, U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen announced that Foreign Minister Farouk Shareh had promised that "all Syrian troops, military assets and the intelligence apparatus will have been withdrawn fully and completely by April 30,." But the withdrawal of Syrian soldiers is only a small part of the Lebanese liberation from Damascus. It is the subtle influence on politicians from Syria and its intelligence that will be much harder to wipe out "You can’t just uproot them like you’re pulling out a tooth," said Adnan Iskaner, a political scientist at the American University of Beirut. "’They have a lot of files on a lot of the [Lebanese] politicians. They’ll still wield some influence, no doubt." 

March, 2005

• KTLA-TV and the Sioux Falls Argus Leader of March 4 reported on the inevitability of a Syrian withdrawal, saying that Damascus is looking for a way to leave gracefully.  "They're trying to find an Arab umbrella for the withdrawal from Lebanon," said Adnan Iskander, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut. "It's a formality which gives the impression that Syria is responding to pressure from Arab countries, which makes it easier. It saves face, really."