The News
Syria’s de facto leader called for sanctions against his country to be lifted and for international help in rebuilding a society battered by years of war and dictatorship.
Speaking to foreign journalists in Damascus, he outlined a desire to refashion Syria’s institutions, but warned that problems “won’t be solved with a magic wand.”
SIGNALS
Talk of lifting sanctions may be premature
The rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad have worked hard to present an image of order and insist that they want to preserve a pluralistic society. This has so far been received positively, with The New York Times describing a “parade of officials” from around the world reopening embassies or meeting with rebel leaders. But talk of lifting sanctions may be premature: “We can’t even say we’re in a transition period. We’re in a stabilisation period,” a member of the Washington-based Syrian American Council told The National. The EU’s new foreign policy chief said Syria’s interim leaders would be judged “by the deeds, not only the words,” and needed to prove their commitment to the protection of minority groups, Reuters reported.
Sanctions relief could keep HTS on moderate path
Calls to rethink sanctions are not new: The US’ sanctions regime against Assad failed to change the political calculus of his enablers or deter human rights abuses, partly because they were too broad to be effective, two analysts argued for the Atlantic Council in 2023. The risk is that delaying sanctions relief will see the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) revert back to their Islamist roots, a Syria analyst told The National, as “they’re pragmatic in both directions.” The West, too, should “deal with the new reality on the ground” by putting forward clear benchmarks for HTS, another expert told Radio Free Europe.