Tit for tat

You withdraw your ambassador, impose economic sanctions and accuse us of sponsoring international terrorism. Fine. We won’t allow your American Fulbright scholars to study at Damascus University.

I have become a political pawn.

Today, I learned at a meeting at the American Cultural Center, a branch of the U.S. embassy, that the Syrian government has decided to bar American students sponsored by the Fulbright scholarship -- funded largely by the U.S. Congress -- from studying at Damascus University. I had planned to take an Arabic placement test tomorrow at the university’s Arabic Language Center and start intensive Arabic classes next week. For now, I will look elsewhere for my Arabic training here.

Syria has little leverage to counter diplomatic pressure imposed by the United States. By limiting the scope of the U.S. Fulbright program here, Syria is returning the favor in its own small way. Whether or not this will matter or be heard in the corridors of power in Washington, and whether anything can be done, remains to be seen.

The Fulbright program is the last channel of meaningful communication between the two nations. If it is curtailed, relations can only deteriorate further.