Learn about Baker's peace negotiations in the Middle East, and see how he demonstrated his seriousness with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. The success of the Gulf War coalition changed the political landscape of the Middle East. Baker wanted to seize the moment to pursue one of the most elusive goals in diplomacy—a peace agreement between Israel and its neighbors. Baker knew that the key to getting the Arabs and Israelis to sit down together was to get the different parties to sign on in an order that would promote success.