Enab Baladi – Khaled al-Jeratli
The administration of US President Donald Trump did not clarify its stance on Syria upon taking office at the White House, showing indifference to the fall of the Assad regime, the biggest event in the Middle East in many years, signaling that Syria is a marginal case on its list of priorities.
Washington did not address the Syrian file in isolation from its relations with regional countries, as the Syrian context often came through American officials in the framework of Washington’s relationship with its ally Ankara, Israel, or its position on Iranian-backed militias in the region.
Recently, Washington’s stance was revealed through leaks reported by Reuters, stating that the United States handed Damascus a list of conditions that it wants the new Syrian authorities to implement in exchange for a partial easing of sanctions.
On March 25, the agency reported, citing an American official and a knowledgeable Syrian source, that the US Assistant Secretary of State, Natasha Franceschi, delivered the US demands list to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani during a personal meeting on the sidelines of the Syria donors’ conference in Brussels, on March 18.
According to what Reuters reported from two American officials, a Syrian source, and two sources in Washington, among the conditions set by Washington is the destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria and cooperation in combating terrorism.
American officials and a source in Washington also stated that one of the demands is to ensure that foreign fighters do not hold any leadership positions in Syria’s governing structure.
Washington requested the appointment of a liaison officer to assist in the American efforts to locate the missing American journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing in Syria for over a decade.
The agency reported that American officials and one source in Washington noted that among the other demands is to ensure that foreign fighters do not hold leadership positions within Syria’s governing framework.
US statements focused on supporting minorities and condemning Islamic extremism, but said little beyond that, leaving uncertainty regarding the future of sanctions and whether US forces would continue to be deployed in the northeast.
What is the United States’ position in Syria?
Despite Washington’s recent silence regarding Syria, the presence of about a thousand US soldiers in the country diminishes the notion that Syria is unimportant to the United States, as US bases in Syria remain a cornerstone in the fight against the Islamic State, which Washington claims is ongoing.
At the same time, the importance of Syria can be considered to have diminished with the declining Russian influence there, according to political expert Eva Koulouriotis.
Koulouriotis stated to Enab Baladi that since Washington and Moscow reached agreements that led to the division of spheres of influence in Syrian geography, with the American military stationed in eastern Euphrates and al-Tanf during the Trump administration, while Russia expanded its influence over the rest of Syria, Syria’s importance has declined.
Even after the fall of the Assad regime, Syria still does not rank among the current US administration’s top priorities, amidst ongoing wars in Gaza, military operations against the Houthis in Yemen, and the Iranian nuclear file, according to Koulouriotis, which explains the slow American reactions to developments in the Syrian scene.
She noted that “mid-level” diplomats are currently managing communication between Washington and Damascus, which indicates the low importance of Syria within the White House.
On the other hand, researcher and director of studies analysis at the Harmoon Center for Contemporary ,Samir al-Abdullah, believes that Syria is not currently among the US political priorities, as it falls under broader regional issues concerning relations with Iran, Israel’s standing in the Middle East, and US policies toward Gulf countries and energy security, in addition to relations with Turkey and the issue of combating the Islamic State.
Al-Abdullah stated to Enab Baladi that US policy towards Syria is based on several considerations, primarily: maintaining Israeli security and ensuring that southern Syria does not become a threat to it, while placing pressure on Iran to prevent its military re-establishment in the region.
Syria also represents part of the new regional arrangements that the Trump administration seeks to impose, especially regarding peace initiatives with Israel, in addition to being a negotiating card in relations with both Turkey and Russia.
What does Washington want from Damascus?
Since the leaks reported by Reuters regarding Washington’s conditions in Syria became public, the steps leading to lifting sanctions on Syria are no longer unknown, as the United States has set conditions for that, even if it has not officially announced them. However, Washington’s ultimate goal in the region, of which Syria is a part, is considered to be further than the presented files.
Researcher Samir al-Abdullah believes that the United States is monitoring the behavior of the new Syrian administration and aims, through its policy towards Damascus, to ensure that Syria does not become a threat to Israel and to address the issue of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through peaceful and negotiated solutions, in addition to ensuring the protection of minorities.
If the Syrian administration adheres to these conditions, Washington is likely to gradually ease sanctions and open new channels of communication, which could lead to re-establishing relations between the two parties. However, that remains contingent upon the Syrian administration’s ability to shift from a jihadist mindset to a state management mentality.
Eva Koulouriotis believes that the US administration has adopted three paths regarding the Syrian file. The first and foremost is to prevent Syria from becoming a new conflict hotspot in the Middle East, particularly since Trump entered the White House with a clear vision to end conflicts and pressured Netanyahu’s government to sign an agreement with Hamas (despite its recent collapse). His administration is also working diligently to end the Russian war in Ukraine.
In the context of Trump’s vision for ending conflicts in the region, he accepted Ahmed al-Sharaa to lead Syria despite his background and pushed the Free Syrian Army stationed at the al-Tanf base in eastern Syria towards the Palmyra area, in coordination with military operations led by al-Sharaa, dealing calmly with the coastal bloody events and facilitating negotiations between Damascus and the SDF, leading to an agreement signed by Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi.
The second path is the counter-terrorism route. In the days following the fall of the Assad regime, Washington executed dozens of airstrikes in the Syrian desert targeting Islamic State locations and intensified assassination operations against current and former leaders in the Guardians of Religion organization affiliated with al-Qaeda in northern Syria, despite the faction announcing its dissolution.
Koulouriotis described the third path as “the most complex,” which involves the economic sanctions that continue to be imposed on Syria. While easing these sanctions over time is possible, their complete lifting still requires greater concessions from the new Syrian administration, primarily concerning the Golan Heights and Syrian-Israeli relations.
US-Israeli consensus
Israel did not let the fall of the Syrian regime be a passing event on the map of the region it has been trying to shape for over a year. Instead, it entered militarily into the fray, striking targets across Syrian provinces, and conducting ground incursions in southern Syria in attempts to pressure Damascus, which continues until today.
Eva Koulouriotis views Israeli actions in Syria as being subject to a US-Israeli consensus regarding Syria, as she told Enab Baladi.
She added that despite US support for Israel in Syria concerning “protecting its security,” American policy remains separate from Israeli policy in Syria. This became clear through Washington’s support for the agreement between the SDF and the new Syrian administration, which is something Israel did not desire.
She pointed out that Israel has been planning and drawing its maps based on the idea of keeping eastern Syria separate from Damascus’ authority, based on information the Greek expert stated she recently acquired, without disclosing her sources.
The information Koulouriotis referred to revolved around circulated plans in Israeli foreign and defense ministries about what is called the “David Corridor Project,” which connects northern Israel to the As-Suwayda and al-Tanf areas, extending towards eastern Syria.
While the Israeli government considers the new Syrian administration a “non-legitimate government” and describes its officials as “terrorists,” the US State Department maintains an open diplomatic channel with Damascus to reconcile viewpoints.
The expert noted that it is essential for Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration to capitalize on the diplomatic openness from the Trump administration to push for understandings between Damascus and Washington, aiming to mitigate Israeli actions in southern Syria. Washington can play a mediating role to prevent any further escalatory steps by Netanyahu’s government, which has been encouraged by its successes against Iran throughout 2024.
Washington’s conditions raise questions about its openness and goals in Syria Enab Baladi.
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