Facebook can be life threatening, as Robert S. Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria had to realize. Mr. Ford, who among other things, openly denounced Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Facebook, had to return to Washington, D.C. because of “credible threats to his personal safety”.
According to an article on Aljazeera, Mr. Ford returned to Washington this weekend; however, he has no intentions of staying there long and giving up his post in Syria.
Robert S. Ford became ambassador to Syria this year, filling a post that has been vacant since 2005. Ever since the uprising started in March, he has expressed his negative views on the Assad government and has also been openly supporting anti-government groups. He visited Hama, a stronghold of the opposition, and attended the funeral of an activist as well. As a result of such deeds, demonstrators threw rocks and tomatoes on him and his company in Damascus. However, he decided to stay in the country after that incident.
This time something more serious must have happened if he had to leave to stay safe. A New York Times article refers to an incitement campaign carried out by the Assad regime against Mr. Ford. As soon as the ambassador left Syria, Imad Mustapha, the Syrian ambassador to the U.S., was recalled too.
However, the Syrian regime should not get too excited about Ford’s departure, as Haynes Mahoney, the charge d’affaires, will act on his behalf while he is gone, and the Obama administration is determined to send him back soon.
The question is whether Syria, or the Arab world in general, will ever be a safe space for a U.S. ambassador, as resentment towards Israel and its allies is getting stronger.
-Adrienn Szlapak
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