The News
Syria’s foreign and defense ministers visited Riyadh while the country’s new leader met with minority groups, part of efforts to win over groups that will be key to its reconstruction.
The Saudi trip comes amid a wider reset of ties since last month’s overthrow of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was isolated from many other Gulf nations due to Assad’s human rights abuses during the Syrian civil war. Instead, Damascus relied heavily in later years on Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran.
Meanwhile, Syria’s leaders have also called for foreign sanctions imposed during Assad’s rule to be lifted to ease its economic woes.
SIGNALS
Saudi Arabia could help to rebuild Syria
While Western nations have hesitated to remove sanctions on Syria’s new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leaders, Gulf nations have rushed to support the government and provide humanitarian aid: After 13 years of war, Syria’s economy and infrastructure have been largely devastated, and the state has depended on Iran for oil and fuel. The visit to the Gulf’s wealthiest state could benefit Syria’s reconstruction, as well as offer a key investment opportunity for the kingdom. The diplomatic visit was described by one former US diplomat as “very significant” for both Syria and Saudi Arabia, who will be looking to encourage wider regional stability amid the ongoing war in Gaza and a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon.
Western nations should avoid isolating Syria
Western nations should avoid repeating the same mistakes they made when the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in 2021, International Crisis Group analysts wrote for Foreign Affairs. International sanctions had no moderating effect on the new Taliban leadership and instead pushed Afghans further into poverty. Western governments should act quickly to remove sanctions against Syria, the analysts argued, to avoid further instability in the country and wider region. Though Western officials have engaged “more deeply” with HTS than they did with the Taliban, the West “should not drag their heels” during a narrow window of opportunity, they wrote.