Pakistan, May 30 -- The American flag once again flies over Damascus; fluttering not just in the wind, but in the face of history. With that simple act, US Envoy Thomas Barrack reopened the American residence in Syria's capital, effectively ending a 13-year diplomatic exile. But beyond the ceremonial handshake and the $7 billion energy infrastructure deal, the deeper message is unmistakable: the West is ready to do business with Syria (with or without justice).

However, we cannot mistake the ongoing diplomacy as one for redemption. To call it correctly, it would be the mesmerising dance of diplomacy as realism-the kind of realism that finds comfort in rebuilding walls before rebuilding accountability. Washington, for instance, has yet to...