The Syrians played a central role in creating the deadlock from which their Lebanese allies have benefited. That doesn't mean their allies are in a position to return to where they were a year ago, but they still have influence.
Besides that, the weather is great, the travel is a piece of cake, you can focus entirely on baseball and the facilities are first-class because games are played at Spring Training stadiums. I had a blast. Whoever thought of the AFL, it was a great idea.