Nothing could be more logical than a peace deal between Israel and Syria, yet the “illogical” logic often driving Middle East politics indicates that the most rational policy for both sides is to maintain the status quo.

The current state of no war, no peace has taxed both countries in terms of military spending and resources that could otherwise have been invested in the economy.

It’s not as though the money could not be used elsewhere.

And now Russia, only too happy to get back at Israel and the United States for their support of Georgia in the recent imbroglio in the Caucasus over Abkhazia and South Ossetia is responding to Syria’s demand for Russian air defence missiles.

Following a meeting between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the Black Sea resort of Sochi last August, Russia has agreed to sell Syria Pantsir surface-to-air missiles and Buk-M12 surface-to-surface missiles.

An earlier request by Syria for S-300 air defence systems and short-range Iskander missiles were scrapped after Washington applied pressure on the Russians. But that was B.C. - Before the Caucasus. 

This continued existence in political limbo has dragged on now for the good part of 35 years, ever since Henry Kissinger, then secretary of State, brokered a ceasefire between Damascus and Jerusalem after the outbreak of the October 1973 war.

Despite overtures from Damascus, peace between Israel and Syria — the only front-line Arab state still in a state of war with Israel remains a distant prospect.

This time it is Israel that does not look at peace with Syria as being advantageous to its national interests. At least, not for now.

The Israeli-Syrian dispute, according to Israeli Major-General Giora Eiland, a former director of Israel’s national security council, is much less complicated than the Israeli-Palestinian dispute which involves finalising borders between the two countries; agreeing over the status of Jerusalem, a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians, and claimed by both the Israelis and the Palestinians as their capital; and the ‘sticky wicket’ of ongoing Palestinian-Israeli dialogue, the “right of return” of Palestinian refugees who fled Palestine in 1948 and 1967.

“The Israeli-Syrian dispute is simpler,” Eiland told a conference in Europe a fortnight ago. Unlike the Palestinian issue where border demarcation remains hazy with each side arguing over the exact trajectory of the future border, further complicated by the fact that it’s a dispute between a state (Israel) and at least two different organisations: Fatah, a secular entity ruling over much of the West Bank, and Hamas, a strictly Islamist organisation calling for the destruction of Israel.

The retired Israeli army general pointed out, the dispute with Syria is unambiguous. “It’s a territorial dispute between two countries.” In this case the borders between Syria and Israel are pre-established and recognised. Any peace deal will demand that Israel return to Syria the Golan Heights occupied during the 1967 Six-Day War.

This is a generally recognised fact that Israel has come to accept as the price of peace with Syria.

Still, there remain divergences between the two sides, of course. The big difference said Eiland jokingly, is that “we call it the Golan and the Syrians call it the Jolan.”

Then there is the problem of water rights, one that Eiland finds within the realm of “achievable” problems. There is even a Syrian peace proposal on the table, and the good offices of Turkey playing the middleman, trying to mediate between Jerusalem and Damascus.

Is peace between Syria and Israel achievable? “Yes,” replies the former army general. However, Eiland gives a number of reasons why peace between Israel and Syria remains unlikely to become a reality anytime soon; and why the Israeli government is not terribly excited about the prospect of peace with Syria.

1.       From the Israeli perspective, peace with Syria will not help the Israeli-Palestinian issue

2.       It will not help the Iran dossier.

3.       It will not help solve the problem of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

4.       Even if the problem with Syria is solved, it is not going to help solve other problems.

5.       Peace with Syria means returning the Golan to the Syrians, which translates into an increased security risk, which means an increase in the risk of war. Therefore, the status quo becomes more appealing.

6.       Syrian President Bashar Assad is not about to follow in the footsteps of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and fly to Jerusalem.

7.       Then there is this additional caveat — the one “recommends” to Israel by the United States — that they avoid talking to the Syrians.

And finally there is the fact that since the end of hostilities on the Golan in 1973, not a single bullet was fired across the demarcation line policed by 1046 troops, 57 military observers and 43 civilians from UNDOF — the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. So if it hasn’t broken, why fix it?

Suddenly the logic of the illogic begins to make sense; so far as anything that illogical can enter into the realm of logic.

"It allows them to do their homework and projects online, and provides opportunities for them to network with foreign students and industry experts," adds Wan.

The initiative is part of Autodesk's overall education strategy to train a new generation of skilled graduates who can meet the employment needs of China's fast-diversifying economy.

Three years ago, the group set up a Centre of Excellence computer laboratory with cutting-edge design technologies in collaboration with leading Chinese universities to develop a multidisciplinary curriculum customised to student needs.

Currently, Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Harbin Institute of Technology, South China University of Technology (SCUT) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University benefit from this project.

"Institutes of higher learning are places where information regarding changing cultural trends and advanced skills and technology are passed on to students. Architecture is one such skill," says Professor Li Jian Cheng, deputy director of the Architectural Technology & Science Institute, School of Architecture at SCUT.

"To enable our students to have a competitive edge in the workforce after graduation, the principal of SCUT pays constant attention to technological advances to ensure our students have working knowledge of the latest developments."

Prof Li adds that the training has enabled his graduates to find employment in the field of building design, where the demand for architectural skills is growing.

As public and private sector organisations in China increasingly recognise the opportunity the global design industry offers the local economy, China's universities are realising the importance of partnering with global leaders such as Autodesk.

The industry ventures are in line with a recent government campaign to focus on "independent innovation". The goal is to move away from "Made in China" to "Designed in China", by creating value-added, home-grown products, services and technologies.

Message of innovation

China's policymakers - no longer content with the country's role as the "world's factory" - have been aggressively promoting the message of innovation as the key to competitiveness.

"The government also wants to move towards sustainable development. The rising pressures on the country to reduce carbon emissions make sustainable design a growing area of importance and have led to a focus on integrating new technology," says Wan from Autodesk.

He adds that the transition cannot happen unless China nurtures and develops a pool of skilled labour, which can help it raise its status from that of low-cost manufacturing base.

"The government recognises one of the effective ways to bring about change is through education, to improve the global image of its students and show that they have the skills and knowledge to compete in the global marketplace."

Local enterprises such as Lenovo, Huaqi Information Digital Technology and Founder Technology have also set up independent industrial design departments to enhance their competitiveness.

But China's onward march is not without challenges. Because design is important in so many industries, there is a dearth of local experts to keep pace with rising demand.

Unlike other parts of Asia, such as Singapore or Hong Kong, which roll out the red carpet for foreign workers, mainland China cannot get round the problem by hiring from abroad.

"One foreign hire is equal to 10 local hires, so cost is an issue," says Wan. "This is why they need to train local people to fill the design-related technical jobs, as the demand is across all industries, not just for certain sectors."

While the educational investments by Autodesk have introduced innovation and creative design at the ground level, the more important goal of bridging the skills gap, is certainly going to be a more time-consuming process.

Wan says that it may take China a decade to build a sustainable talent base of engineers and designers who can support the industrial needs of the country.

"Every year, about 1.5 million engineers graduate in China. In about 10 years time, there will be enough qualified skilled students to meet the challenges China faces."

"It allows them to do their homework and projects online, and provides opportunities for them to network with foreign students and industry experts," adds Wan.

The initiative is part of Autodesk's overall education strategy to train a new generation of skilled graduates who can meet the employment needs of China's fast-diversifying economy.

Three years ago, the group set up a Centre of Excellence computer laboratory with cutting-edge design technologies in collaboration with leading Chinese universities to develop a multidisciplinary curriculum customised to student needs.

Currently, Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Harbin Institute of Technology, South China University of Technology (SCUT) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University benefit from this project.

"Institutes of higher learning are places where information regarding changing cultural trends and advanced skills and technology are passed on to students. Architecture is one such skill," says Professor Li Jian Cheng, deputy director of the Architectural Technology & Science Institute, School of Architecture at SCUT.

"To enable our students to have a competitive edge in the workforce after graduation, the principal of SCUT pays constant attention to technological advances to ensure our students have working knowledge of the latest developments."

Prof Li adds that the training has enabled his graduates to find employment in the field of building design, where the demand for architectural skills is growing.

As public and private sector organisations in China increasingly recognise the opportunity the global design industry offers the local economy, China's universities are realising the importance of partnering with global leaders such as Autodesk.

The industry ventures are in line with a recent government campaign to focus on "independent innovation". The goal is to move away from "Made in China" to "Designed in China", by creating value-added, home-grown products, services and technologies.

Message of innovation

China's policymakers - no longer content with the country's role as the "world's factory" - have been aggressively promoting the message of innovation as the key to competitiveness.

"The government also wants to move towards sustainable development. The rising pressures on the country to reduce carbon emissions make sustainable design a growing area of importance and have led to a focus on integrating new technology," says Wan from Autodesk.

He adds that the transition cannot happen unless China nurtures and develops a pool of skilled labour, which can help it raise its status from that of low-cost manufacturing base.

"The government recognises one of the effective ways to bring about change is through education, to improve the global image of its students and show that they have the skills and knowledge to compete in the global marketplace."

Local enterprises such as Lenovo, Huaqi Information Digital Technology and Founder Technology have also set up independent industrial design departments to enhance their competitiveness.

But China's onward march is not without challenges. Because design is important in so many industries, there is a dearth of local experts to keep pace with rising demand.

Unlike other parts of Asia, such as Singapore or Hong Kong, which roll out the red carpet for foreign workers, mainland China cannot get round the problem by hiring from abroad.

"One foreign hire is equal to 10 local hires, so cost is an issue," says Wan. "This is why they need to train local people to fill the design-related technical jobs, as the demand is across all industries, not just for certain sectors."

While the educational investments by Autodesk have introduced innovation and creative design at the ground level, the more important goal of bridging the skills gap, is certainly going to be a more time-consuming process.

Wan says that it may take China a decade to build a sustainable talent base of engineers and designers who can support the industrial needs of the country.

"Every year, about 1.5 million engineers graduate in China. In about 10 years time, there will be enough qualified skilled students to meet the challenges China faces."

Source: Khaleej Times