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Reporters' notebook: Civil War in Syria

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    Leland Vittert talks about the shift in U.S. policy's impact on Middle Eastern conflict

  • Duration 6:26
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Tell me just off that it would buy one isn't -- any reaction to what you just heard and Jennifer Griffin's report you you're sitting in Syria what's happened now and in many parts of the Arab Spring and serious turning into a failed state which in many ways exactly what al-Qaeda.

And exactly what the rest of these groups want to have happen in that country.

It's not exactly what Iran hopes to have happen but it certainly allows them a lot more freedom of movement is pretty soon you're not only gonna have Libyan arms.

On the market which is what happened -- also have Syrian arms at some point we're learning now.

Exactly now what eighteen months twenty months after the Arab Spring began.

And it just because you start a revolution it's very difficult to project where it's going to actually end up in this is -- -- certainly in Syria but.

Now further along in Libya in Yemen also in Egypt you don't really understanding tell it's almost too late to do anything about it where these kinds of things end up.

And I don't get too political with you but but having said that it it's a hornet's nest so when you hit it.

You don't know where the bees will fly -- wasp will fly -- so how do you as is the administration.

As EU UN.

You know NATO.

Member and and can you say this is what we're going to do this is how we're gonna do it I mean how do you follow the ball -- actually stay ahead of the ball.

We'll have the big question right now if you look at that power dynamics of the Middle East today vs two years ago.

You could have given a Vegas -- odds of -- million to one or ten million to one that Mubarak will be gone so -- would be -- Qaddafi would be gone.

And all of a sudden a -- would be in great danger.

Wasn't going to happen but now you look at the strategic map -- the United States is far worse off.

It was two years ago.

That's a fact our allies are gone now is that worth the cost of having democracy.

In the sense that he gets it have a democratic election on Saturday and Sunday so people say yes some people say -- that's a political situation.

But the fact of the matter is it that the Arab Spring has certainly put the United States and our ally Israel in a much worse position.

That it was two years ago.

I'll ask you this -- you and move on ten but how do you how do you deal with that that the new game how do you handle that.

That's a much more difficult questioning goes back to trying to build the same alliance is that you don't.

Back in the 1970s you're building an alliance with -- -- in Egypt you were trying to build an alliance with king Hussein.

There in Jordan you're trying to move forward with Saudi Arabia and the gulf states.

In many ways 2006151009.

Things in the Middle East didn't look so bad -- at peace relatively speaking in Israel Lebanon.

-- Lebanon war was over.

Now all of a sudden you have to go back and redraw the map and figure out OK who -- our friends who can we trust who can't we trust.

But -- a situation in the case of Libya -- -- casing Yemen increasingly cases Syria.

You need to know -- call much closer to trust -- and nobody pick up the phone.

All the phone lines it bombed out and as a bunch of rebel groups running around.

Controlling individual fiefdoms that's what happened Afghanistan that's what happened Somalia and now we have al-Qaeda in both places the -- we did here.

How do we get.

-- did we get here.

To this place where years ago you couldn't even -- -- odds were so much against this this very thing that's happening now.

You had two things you get a radical change in US policy.

No longer -- our allies sacrosanct meaning it would move but when there was a run out rise against Mubarak a rise against.

-- in Tunisia the United States didn't come out in support of our allies.

In fact President Obama came out against the people who are tradition our allies and support of that in the democratic movement that's a political decision President Bush decided.

That our allies in that allegiance was more important -- the democratic ideals in Egypt in Yemen in and other places and even in the deal with Qaddafi even deals with.

So did a radical shift in US policy there's also been the quote unquote Arab awakening.

And suddenly get Muslim Brotherhood could very well funded.

Very well trained very well financed.

Now realizes that they have a lot of power and they're not afraid east where they get through them and most of their money comes from the gulf states meaning Saudi Arabia Qatar -- And part of the emirates.

I could keep talking do you but I do want to play some sound that you brought back from the front lines so we'll go with the first -- sound bite from Amanda reacting they're in the streets to the Mubarak verdict -- that we'll talk about it.

This is the moment of truth outside the courthouse you can see everyone raising their hands in prayer meeting just the next couple of seconds we're gonna hear the verdict on President Mubarak could be unprecedented.

In Arab dictator.

Thrown out by his own people and then put on trial his own country.

Buying his army and right now these folks say the only thing they feel is justice is the death penalty.

-- -- -- Little -- crazy.

I didn't victims.

Life in prison in his.

His own country.

Quite a revolution.

And that's.

Leland politics aside you see these people who have been oppressed and and and now that they.

Since it a sense of freedom for the first time just watching did you chill bumps.

Without how do you feel being in the middle of the -- -- -- -- -- The point you're a little scare you don't know what's gonna happen when you didn't see -- next -- -- of about thirty tanks with.

Guys machine guns sitting up one topic they were -- -- machine guns as the bird was coming out that's not exactly a wonderful feeling we have that does not give you.

Goosebumps for different reasons I guess she -- thing.

There's no question that this newfound freedom is incredible being Tucker -- the night that Mubarak resigned as one of the most amazing.

In moments of anybody's life then.

The issue is though what do you didn't do with that freedom in Egypt where.

Roughly 40% of the population is illiterate -- -- percentage lives on less than two dollars today.

Democracy begin is the only place anybody knows which is the mosques so that's what you're gonna end up having -- and padding in some form or another.

A far more religious state.

-- what you had under Mubarak that's what the people want.

On the other hand you have to worry about it turning to something like Iran where the Ayatollah that absolutely we had a democratic revolution we believe in democracy we believe in one man one vote.

Only one time.

And that's the problem.

-- fascinating.

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