In an interview with Sky News, President Bashar al-Assad apparently looked forward to a meeting with the American president. “Any summit between any two presidents is something positive,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you have to agree about everything. But when you discuss, this is how we can close the gap.” Under Obama, the U.S. has taken small steps to developing a relationship with Syria and other countries willing to “unclench their fist.” In this way, the US has departed from the isolationist policy of George W. Bush. President Bush famously put Syria in the “Axis of Evil” along with its three original members Iran, Iraq and North Korea.
The Independent