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The US conclusion that the recent summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation delivered a "strong signal" to Syria missed the point. As always in Muslim politics, the subtext of the conference - the increasing threat of sectarian rivalry to the Middle Eastern regimes - was more important than the basic narrative. Thus we saw Mahmud Ahmadinejad with a seat of honor next to King Abdullah, while the OIC's castigation of Damascus will make no difference in Syria itself.