Among the powerful images following the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime was the sight of thousands of political detainees streaming out of Syria’s prisons—a sign of hope and simultaneous grief for the thousands who never emerged. Days later, as Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, arrived at the notorious Sednaya prison near Damascus, a woman yelled out to him: “You’re just coming now? It’s too late!” Her anger should not just be seen as an indictment of the past decade of global inaction—it’s a warning.
While quick to impose punitive measures, the international community too often drags its feet when opportunities for positive change arise. At precisely the moment when the world should be rushing to support Syrians, decisive action is lacking.
It is a false choice to hinge all US engagement with Syria on political recognition of the new authorities, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former Al-Qaeda affiliate. For years, concerns about the Assad regime’s corruption, interference, and violence stifled foreign investment and development programmes. With its fall, new opportunities have emerged to support the Syrian people directly—with or without a recognised government—while providing clear benchmarks for the transitional government to unlock wider integration.
There is now a window of opportunity for recovery. There is a clear moral imperative to alleviate human suffering. Maintaining the status quo of economic isolation punishes Syrians for a government they did not choose and that no longer exists. Millions of Syrians have resorted to extremes to survive the country’s economic collapse, such as pulling children out of school to beg or work, sending daughters into child marriage, and selling off assets such as livestock and land.
Scaling up humanitarian aid is critical. (Last year, donors provided only one-third of the required humanitarian aid for Syria—the lowest level in a decade.) But emergency aid is only ever a Band-Aid solution; it cannot cover the gaping wound of an economy in ruins, shattered by war and suffocated by blanket sanctions.
Already, the war cost Syria 85% of the value of its GDP and the equivalent of 35 years of development. Today, 90% of Syrians live in poverty. Soon, some of the 5.5 million Syrian refugees abroad could return prematurely to devastated homes, gaps in infrastructure, and overstretched public services, creating the risk of repeated internal displacements.
This is a recipe for tension and renewed violence—and will leave Syria stuck in a perpetual state of crisis. There is strategic value in the United States taking every opportunity to mitigate the risk of Syria veering toward state collapse and a security vacuum in a country with a lingering risk of a resurgence of the Islamic State or other armed groups.
Instead, in its hesitation, the United States risks undermining the very stability it seeks. Over the last 14 years, world leaders have voiced their solidarity with the people of Syria. How long will Syrians now have to wait for economic relief?
