President Donald Trump landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, marking his first significant international expedition since taking office. His aim? To forge substantial agreements related to trade and diplomatic advancements in the Middle East.
Interestingly, he might find a surprisingly receptive partner in Syria’s new leadership.
Natasha Hall, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), stated, “This is a historic opportunity, and it would be unfortunate if the US let it slip by.”
Trump’s administration seems open to establishing new relations with Syria, potentially reevaluating harsh sanctions that were previously enforced under Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The group currently governing Syria has, well, a complicated history when it comes to managing the country, often described as operated under an “Iron Fist.”
In the Oval Office on Monday, Trump mentioned, “We want to see if we can help them,” suggesting that decisions regarding Syrian sanctions would need attention soon.
Hall emphasized that “for the first time, Syria holds a formidable government, no longer reliant on Iran for survival and actually opposing it. If the US doesn’t act, it could miss a significant opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Mouaz Moustafa, who leads the Syrian Emergency Task Force—an organization dedicated to fostering democracy in Syria—recently convened with Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president. They engaged in discussions about potential advancements in US-Syrian relations that spanned over three hours.
Moustafa and his team are pushing for a meeting between Al-Sharaa and Trump during this visit, hoping to persuade the new Syrian administration to forge connections post a grueling 14 years of civil strife and to redefine the interactions with a government that had once aligned with al-Qaeda.
“The objective for Syria is to move forward, hoping to discuss their interests with President Trump in Saudi Arabia and alleviating concerns within the White House,” he noted. The focus is on collaborative intelligence initiatives and business opportunities.
Though progress is being made, there is caution as Al-Sharaa is early in his tenure. While he does not stifle political and civil liberties, he holds an inherently authoritarian stance, as pointed out by Robert Ford, the last US ambassador to Syria.
Ford, who was evacuated from Damascus in 2011 as the uprising escalated, led efforts to list Al-Sharaa as a terrorist years ago, asserting that he heads a pragmatic yet fragile government.
“He doesn’t wield total control over Syria; his governmental strength in Damascus is quite limited, and it’s going to require time to assert authority across the country,” Ford expressed.
Despite some encouraging developments since Al-Sharaa took office, Ford emphasizes a tempered outlook, acknowledging that Syria remains internally divided and fragile both militarily and economically, making it difficult to strike a significant deal with the US.
A senior official from the Syrian Foreign Ministry told a news outlet that “the new free Syria is working towards building strategic relationships with America, predicated on mutual benefits and collaborative partnerships.”
Al-Sharaa has expressed concerns regarding the expansion of Iran-backed militias near the Iraqi-Syrian border, which aligns with US interests in managing Iranian influence.
Moustafa noted that the new Syrian leadership is optimistic that forthcoming agreements can foster peace with neighboring states, including Israel, while also underlining that US engagement is crucial to counteract adversarial influences from China, Russia, and Iran.
However, critics remind that potential complications in US dealings aren’t absent.
Al-Sharaa ascended from opposition to the Assad regime, saw a $10 million bounty placed on him that was lifted recently, all amid a backdrop of engaging with the once-feared regime.
The challenges remain, especially with HTS—still labeled a terrorist organization—complicating potential business endeavors in Syria.
“We need to question whether transformations following the government’s downfall will indeed lead to enduring shifts in character, ideology, and governance,” Caroline Rose of the New Lines Institute remarked, emphasizing the delicate situation.
Though HTS has slightly distanced itself from previous affiliations with terrorist factions, there remains significant skepticism about its long-term reliability.
Al-Sharaa’s transitional government has been assembled with allies from HTS, technocrats, former opposition leaders, and even individuals from the Assad administration. He has enacted a temporary constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and women’s rights, though concerns persist around the president’s overarching powers.
Al-Sharaa can declare emergencies unilaterally, which raises alarms for many who have long suffered under authoritarian rule.
While there’s a flicker of hope among Syrians for what the future may bring, genuine peace still feels out of reach.
Recent sectarian conflicts highlight existing tensions that could jeopardize stability, raising further questions about whether the new authorities can control armed groups within the complicated ethnic landscape.
