--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ultimate goal is to change Syria's…" description: "\"The ultimate goal is to change Syria's behaviour on a variety of issues - on its interference in Lebanese internal affairs, on its support for Palestin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/elliott-abrams-1577_acting_the-ultimate-goal-is-to-change-syria-s-b_1754116.jpg" --- # The ultimate goal is to change Syria's behaviour on a… ![“The ultimate goal is to change Syria's behaviour on a variety of issues - on its interference in Lebanese internal affairs, on its support for Palestinian terrorist groups that oppose the Palestinian Authority, on, most importantly, acting as a land bridge between Iran and Hezbollah, where…” quote by Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/elliott-abrams-1577_acting_the-ultimate-goal-is-to-change-syria-s-b_1754116.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/elliott-abrams-1577_acting_the-ultimate-goal-is-to-change-syria-s-b_1754116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/497/elliott-abrams-1577_acting_the-ultimate-goal-is-to-change-syria-s-b_1754116.jpg) > “The ultimate goal is to change Syria's behaviour on a variety of issues - on its interference in Lebanese internal affairs, on its support for Palestinian terrorist groups that oppose the Palestinian Authority, on, most importantly, acting as a land bridge between Iran and Hezbollah, where Hezbollah gets all its arms.” [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates for altering Syria's regional actions, especially its meddling in Lebanon, support for hostile groups, and role as a conduit for Iranian arms to Hezbollah. **In simple terms:** Goal: change Syria's behavior. Key Takeaway Focus diplomatic pressure on Syria's regional conduct. Themes foreign policy regional security Iran-Hezbollah network Mood strategic urgent Type analytical policy-oriented When to use this quote - UN negotiations - sanctions - military aid - media campaigns Key Concepts geopolitics deterrence Questions to Reflect On - What leverage points can be used to influence Syria? - How can allies coordinate to address the Iran-Hezbollah link? A Different Perspective Complex regional dynamics may limit effectiveness of pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Affairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affairs/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Behaviour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviour/) [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Internal affairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internal-affairs/) [Iran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Lebanese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lebanese/) [Palestinian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palestinian/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Syria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syria/) [Terrorist groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorist-groups/) [Ultimate goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate-goal/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) ## Related quotes > [Hezbollah is not fighting for Syria. Hezbollah is not fighting for Iran. Hezbollah is fighting for Lebanon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-nasrallah/hezbollah-is-not-fighting-for-syria-hezbollah-is-not-fighting-for/) [Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-nasrallah/) > [I think it's a huge mistake. I think regime change in Syria, and this is what - I've been saying this for several years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-think-it-s-a-huge-mistake-i-think-regime-change-in-syria-and-this/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [I also think regime change in Syria is a bad idea. And that's an ongoing question. 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They want to see a new government.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafik-hariri/the-lebanese-people-voted-this-time-for-change-so-they-are-not/) [Rafik Hariri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafik-hariri/) > [“If you want to judge if a party is a Lebanese enough, let me say we take up arms and fight against the occupation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/if-you-want-to-judge-if-a-party-is-a-lebanese-enough-let-me-say-we/) [Sayed Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/) > [I covered the Lebanese civil war. I could see a place that had once been prosperous and now was impoverished. I'm not seeing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-covered-the-lebanese-civil-war-i-could-see-a-place-that-had-once/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Buddy I have lived through three wars and several major political skirmishes. You can't beat me down with your boring-to-death sales pitches.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anissa-rafeh/buddy-i-have-lived-through-three-wars-and-several-major-political/) Anissa Rafeh > [Some find Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran’s poetry preachy and moralizing, but I find it plenty enlightening—it’s hard to object to the melodic, cosmic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil/some-find-lebanese-poet-kahlil-gibran-s-poetry-preachy-and-moralizing/) [Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil/) > [I was a child during the Lebanese civil war, and I remember Israeli bombardments. 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The Lebanese dare not do anything without the approval of Damascus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-rabin/lebanon-is-a-syrian-protectorate-the-lebanese-dare-not-do-anything/) [Yitzhak Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-rabin/) ## More by Elliott Abrams > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The story of the Jews in the Bible is replete with incidents of their ingratitude to God for His gifts to them: incidents that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-story-of-the-jews-in-the-bible-is-replete-with-incidents-of-their/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [History may someday record that the Arab awakening that began with the Arab revolt of 1916 against the Ottomans ended about a century later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/history-may-someday-record-that-the-arab-awakening-that-began-with/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [From its earliest days in the nineteenth century, and until the Holocaust, the Orthodox rabbinate in eastern Europe was not enthusiastic about the Zionist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/from-its-earliest-days-in-the-nineteenth-century-and-until-the/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The Pope is not a political figure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-pope-is-not-a-political-figure/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Israel and the Palestinians had been at the table together for decades until the Obama/Mitchell/Rahm Emanuel decision to demand a total end to Israeli…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-and-the-palestinians-had-been-at-the-table-together-for/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Pundits are used to analyzing the gap between what our ideals suggest and what our security interests require.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/pundits-are-used-to-analyzing-the-gap-between-what-our-ideals-suggest/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The Egyptian military and the government of Israel have long had a common interest in maintaining order and fighting terrorism in Sinai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-egyptian-military-and-the-government-of-israel-have-long-had-a/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [In 2007, early in the improbable presidential candidacy of Barack Obama, the young first-term senator began a series of foreign-policy speeches that seemed too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/in-2007-early-in-the-improbable-presidential-candidacy-of-barack/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Terrorists that kill Americans don't get released.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/terrorists-that-kill-americans-don-t-get-released/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Refusing to lift sanctions and adopting tougher rhetoric toward Iran would not be partisan issues. Plenty of Democrats think that those actions are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/refusing-to-lift-sanctions-and-adopting-tougher-rhetoric-toward-iran/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [At the height of the Cold War, when Ronald Reagan was president, the Soviets and their allies and satellites did not shirk human rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/at-the-height-of-the-cold-war-when-ronald-reagan-was-president-the/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [I personally would not talk to a Jew for Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/i-personally-would-not-talk-to-a-jew-for-jesus/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [When freedom of the press is threatened, the United States should be leading efforts to protect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/when-freedom-of-the-press-is-threatened-the-united-states-should-be/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Israel bombed the Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007. What the Syrians did in response, nothing. Israel has killed a number of terrorist leaders in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-bombed-the-syrian-nuclear-reactor-in-2007-what-the-syrians-did/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) [Explore all 226 Elliott Abrams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. 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