Inside Syria: Fighting For Dad And Country

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It appeared last week that Washington's threats were beginning to sink in. Bashar's Foreign Ministry reacted with relief to news that Secretary of State Colin Powell is considering a visit to Damascus. "We are trying not to escalate the situation," says Syrian spokeswoman Buthaina Shaaban. The most dangerous thing Bashar could do now is play with Iraq the game his father once played with Lebanon. Between 1982 and '84, Hafez backed Lebanese guerrilla factions until they drove out U.S. peacekeeping troops. Hafez may have won that round. But Bashar would find it hard to follow in Hafez's footsteps with the Bush Administration commanding the other side. --With reporting by George Baghdadi/Damascus