Syria Today | Q&A: Keith Ellison

Q&A: Keith Ellison
Democrat Member of US Congress

By Dalia Haidar

How would you characterise current Syrian-US relations?

I support our diplomatic outreach to Syria. I welcome change for the better in US-Syrian relations.

Has US engagement with Syria changed the Middle East in any way?

Overall, US engagement in the Middle East has changed. However, it is important not to set expectations too high. We should work towards steady progress and not expect an overnight breakthrough. President Obama’s speeches in Ankara and Cairo are helping to change the climate and to encourage mutual interest and respect. This is an important step in US relations with the Middle East. Of course, improvement in the political climate and political language must align with policy action.

Syria still faces powerful opposition groups in Washington which would like to see the country firmly isolated. What would you advise Syria in this regard?

Syria should send a clear and unmistakable signal that it is ready to do what it can to improve the bilateral relationship with the United States. Many people, both in the United States and Syria, want improved relations, but there are people in both countries who profit from the status quo. Perhaps people-to-people exchanges could be encouraged to establish greater understanding and appreciation while the government leaders work through the diplomatic process.

You have always supported greater engagement with the Middle East and you visited Syria in 2007. What came out of this visit and do you plan to return anytime soon?

I would like to return to Syria. Syria is a diverse nation that boasts a great history. I look forward to greater levels of integration and I intend to work towards building the bilateral US-Syrian relationship. I visited Syria in 2007 with US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the visit gave us a greater appreciation of the beauty of Syrian culture and history and the complexities of Syrian society. I would welcome the opportunity to further the dialogue begun on my first visit.

US efforts to restart the Middle East peace process have yet to bear fruit in any significant way. What are the reasons behind this in your view?

It’s true that we haven’t seen the progress that we hoped for at the beginning of 2009, but we can’t allow ourselves to get discouraged. We have seen some progress. Several American congressional delegations have visited Syria. Direct diplomatic engagement has taken place. Better relations are around the corner if all sides continue to work towards that end. The leaders of the US and Syria have to remember that the relationship has been frozen for too long and it will take time to ‘defrost’. US President Obama showed his commitment to Middle East peace by appointing former Senator George Mitchell as his special envoy to the Middle East.

What are the chances of a Syrian-Israeli peace agreement being signed in the next year?

Well, the Syria-Israel peace discussions must get back on track. However, I am an optimist.

The US has opposed the UN Goldstone Report which found strong evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both Israel and Hamas during the Gaza conflict of late 2008-early 2009. Does the US position on the Goldstone Report weaken your ability to promote human rights in the Middle East?

I voted against the congressional resolution condemning the Goldstone Report. Therefore, I don’t believe our position was helpful to the cause of human rights. This is not to say that I agree with every word in the Goldstone Report. I hope Israel and armed Palestinian groups use the Goldstone Report to guide their own internal investigations. Also, let us remember that the Goldstone Report found that Hamas committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity. It’s not only about Israel’s actions in the Gaza War.

What do you say to critics who claim that America’s promotion of human rights is selective and hypocritical, that US governments ignore breaches of their allies and highlight breaches of countries which do not fully sign on to their foreign policy?

Obviously, the United States has vital interests. At the end of the day, the United States will promote its vital interests and human rights on a fair basis. However, let’s not act as though only the United States needs to change. Syria could be a much more helpful partner in the US-Syrian relationship if it offered constructive solutions in certain areas. For example, Syria could help to moderate radical elements stationed within its borders in connection with the Middle East peace process. It could promote and foster Lebanese government formation. It could prevent the passing through of foreign fighters on their way to join Iraqi insurgents.

You are the first Muslim congressman in the United States. How has the experience been so far?

My election to the US House of Representatives is positive proof that anything is possible in America – even the election of a congressman from Minnesota who happens to be Muslim. For the most part my experience has been very positive; I work well with my colleagues. Occasionally, I have to confront religious intolerance, but I manage just fine.

There has been much talk in recent years of a ‘clash of civilisations’ between the Islamic world and the West. What is your position in this debate?

There is no ‘clash of civilisations’. It’s a mythical concept. History reveals a great amount of overlap and interaction between the Islamic world and the West. The people who make up my congressional district come from all over the world.

There are second- and third-generation immigrants from Germany, Norway, Poland and Italy. We have new immigrants from Somalia, Tibet, Laos, Mexico, Syria and many more.

They are Lutherans and Baptists, Muslims and Buddhists, believers and non-believers. All are Americans – yet they retain their cultural, familial and spiritual connections to their ancestral lands.

We need to move beyond these dichotomous divisions such as ‘East’ and ‘West’, ‘Muslim world’ and ‘non-Muslim world’. Instead we should focus on our universal, common desire for peace, justice and freedom.

We need to educate and feed the children of the world; provide jobs for their parents, at decent wages and in an environmentally sustainable economy. These are the things that bring the people of the world together – and not the labels that divide us.