Leveraging bilateralism: Franco-Syrian relations under the two mandates of Jacques Chirac (1995-2007)

Our objective is, through the use of renewed documentation, to understand the relationship between a medium-sized, global power, and a medium-sized Arab power. With Jacques Chirac's election in 1995, relations between the two countries allowed for many realizations: the imposition on the regional scene in the face of American will, a moderation of Syrian trouble-making policies, or the implementation of cooperation in the area of administrative reform. France and Syria were however also confronted with several challenges, such as the changing of presidents in Syria, Lebanese tensions or war in Iraq.
As a result, by the end of 2003, Franco-Syrian relations entered a new phase. Taking stock of insufficient results, as well as Syria's incapacity to take into account the new configuration born out of the war in Iraq, France used the United Nations to put pressure on Damascus. A minimal and fraught bilateral relationship crystallized around the interest which both countries had in Lebanon. In the wake of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri in 2015, this bilateral relationship acquired a judicial dimension.
These fluctuations in Franco-Syrian relations have led me to reconsider the notion of bilateralism. I thus propose the concept of leveraged bilateralism, which refers to the using of the relationship between two countries for indirect objectives. By nourishing bilateral relations and by establishing a habit of interaction with one another, France and Syria sought in reality to obtain gains and a position on the regional or international scene. This hijacking of the bilateral relationship is the reason why the latter was not able to establish itself over the long run.