When Bashar came into power, in order to reverse the unfavorable situations facing Syria in the Middle East, he adjusted
Syria's
policies toward the region, ameliorated relations with the neighboring
countries and strengthened cooperation with the regional powers. When Iraqi Crisis broke out, Syria gradually involved in, first took uncooperative stances toward America's “overthrow-Saddham-policy", then continued to promote reconciliation with Iraq and finally expressed its uncompromising anti-war stances at the UN Security Council. Making use of the Iraqi Issue, Syria intends to highlight the Arab-Israeli conflicts. During the Iraq War, contradictions between Syria and the U.S. intensified, resulting in the deterioration of Syria's geopolitical environment. Although Bashar's flexible and pragmatic foreign policies lessened the tensions between the two countries, post-Iraq War Syria-U.S. disagreement, Syria-Israel deadlock and the Lebanon issue remain the main challenges facing the Bashar government.