by Leonid Tsukanov
| Not everything is about Russia, sorry. But I look forward to discovering how long the HTS conquerers can be overtly civilized before reverting to type. |
Among others, US President Donald Trump recently showed unprecedented generosity by ordering the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, a month after similar steps by the European Union. However, this was done rather in advance with the aim of turning Damascus into a new US diplomatic battering ram in the Middle East.
UNPRECEDENTED SCOPE
Trump's order suspended most of the restrictions on Syria that had been in place since the mid-1970s.
The White House not only lifted foreign trade and financial restrictions, but also effectively nullified the “Caesar Act” adopted in 2020, which automatically imposed American sanctions against all public figures and companies who cooperated with the Syrian authorities.
True, the sanctions were lifted with a caveat: only countries friendly to the US can freely interact with the “new Syria.” The restrictions on cooperation with Russia, China, and Iran remain the same as five years ago.
In addition, the decree allows for a review of the status of people from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* (HTS*) group who, led by its former leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, have taken up leadership positions in the new Syrian government.
At the same time, Trump emphasized that the United States reserves the right to reintroduce restrictions if the conditions for their lifting (democratization, normalization of relations in the region, economic openness) are violated.
NEW "FRIEND"
The main reason why the US has taken on Damascus in earnest is the desire to “make friends” between Syria and Israel, thereby achieving the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
It is known that Damascus and Tel Aviv have already held several rounds of negotiations on the territory of third countries and are gradually moving towards normalizing relations.
For Trump, as the main ideologist of the agreements, this is a question of image, since over the past four years the Israeli “group of friends” has failed to expand, and the Middle East has begun to doubt the viability of the initiative.
Moreover, Syrian-Israeli normalization should, in theory, push the “doubting” players – Qatar and Saudi Arabia – to take similar steps.
On the other hand, the idea of normalizing relations with Israel does not find understanding on the ground.
The murmur is being caused by numerous leaks that claim Damascus is preparing to hand over the Golan Heights to Israel in exchange for normalizing relations and withdrawing the army from the so-called “David Corridor” – a buffer zone created in early January 2025 to protect Israeli regions from possible attacks from Syria.
Revanchist sentiments are growing in light of the fact that the previous Syrian government was criticized, among other things, for its inability to fully restore control over the Golan Heights.
The al-Sharaa cabinet is unable to explain in detail what exactly Syria will gain from a possible normalization of relations with Israel. Moreover, it is trying to avoid touching on this topic at all.
Moreover, Israeli politicians, including, for example, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, directly say that Tel Aviv dictates the terms of the negotiations.
NATIONAL QUESTION
Another sore spot in Syria that Trump is trying to smooth over with generous gestures is the situation of minorities.
Damascus has been unable to establish dialogue with representatives of religious and ethnic groups, as they remain afraid of persecution by the authorities.
The cause for concern was given by the Syrian leaders themselves, who allowed a series of large-scale clashes with the Alawite (March 2025) and Druze (April-May 2025) communities.
And although the leading role in the purges was played by various "gray" units, connected to Damascus only nominally, the responsibility for their implementation fell on the al-Sharaa cabinet. Especially since the authorities did not pursue the instigators of the clashes with due consistency and limited themselves to arresting only a couple of minor figures.
In addition, the "national question" inevitably overlaps with the problem of countering the terrorist threat. Radicals seek to discredit Damascus by attacking minority areas and turning each attack into a "manifesto" of the new authorities' inability to protect the population.
However, there are also positive developments. Thus, Damascus managed to establish a dialogue with the Kurds, who control part of the country's large oil-bearing regions, and to achieve their participation in the negotiation process on building a "new Syria."
The leader of the Syrian Kurds, Mazlum Abdi, judging by his latest statements, looks at the situation optimistically and expects to soon achieve new constitutional rights for the Kurds.
Although, in parallel, it maintains active involvement in the construction of a “united Kurdistan” on the territory of Syria and neighboring countries.
However, as the Kurds themselves admit, “united Kurdistan” is more a symbol of the unity of communities from different countries than a real geopolitical project, and does not pose a threat to Syria’s national security.
The self-dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in May 2025, whose fighters were active in Syrian territory, carrying out guerrilla raids against Turkish troops, also helped to increase trust between Damascus and Abdi's supporters.
After the PKK was eliminated, both Syria and its ally Türkiye stopped seeing Kurdish communities as a “first-order threat,” which helped build bridges.
But we are still far from full normalization.
AMERICA IS IN A HURRY
Trump is increasingly rushing Damascus. He demands that it distance itself from its “dictatorial past” as soon as possible, resolve problems with minorities, provide guarantees of internal stability, and achieve normalization of relations with its neighbors.
The time that Washington is ready to give to new partners is measured in months at best. Thus, the American president wants the first visible progress by the end of September – by the summit of the UN General Assembly leaders, which will take place in New York.
There is a reason for haste.
Given the desire for a constant audit of the US presence in the Middle East, a solution to the “Syrian case” would give Trump serious advantages in the further reshuffling of military contingents.
In addition, strengthening al-Sharaa's power and regional image will help attract attention to the previous ambitious military-political projects of the United States. For example, it will give a chance to revive the "Middle Eastern NATO", where Syria will become one of the links on an equal footing with Israel and the Arabian monarchies. And this will significantly strengthen Washington's position in the region.
However, without resolving the problems inside Syria, moving forward will simply be impossible. And this will require much more time than Trump has given Damascus.