Politics

Why the US should engage with Syria's new government

The new leadership in Damascus has carefully considered the list of American demands required of it to lift sanctions and has taken adequate steps to address them

ANGELA WEISS / AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C) attends a flag raising ceremony of the new Syrian flag at United Nations Headquarters in New York on April 25, 2025.

Why the US should engage with Syria's new government

Radwan Ziadeh

last update on 08 May 2025

At the Brussels Conference in March, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Syria engagement in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Natasha Franceschi, delivered a list containing eight key American demands to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. According to Washington, these conditions must be fulfilled by the new Syrian government for the United States to recognise its legitimacy and begin easing sanctions—particularly the financial ones.

The Trump administration must engage more deeply and constructively on the issues that concern it with Syria’s new leadership. Broader political dialogue would not only support Syria in overcoming the complexities of its transitional phase but also help establish the foundations for long-term stability and national reconciliation.

The American demands touch on a series of sensitive and strategic issues that require thoughtful, negotiated responses and a calm political atmosphere. The Syrian government has approached them in this spirit.

First, the Syrian government has made lifting sanctions one of its highest priorities since its very first day in office. After more than six decades under the Assad regime—a dictatorship that inflicted immense suffering, loss of life, and economic destruction—the new leadership recognises that it cannot fulfil the aspirations of the Syrian people or meet international expectations as long as these sanctions remain in place.

The ongoing restrictions continue to strangle Syria’s economic recovery and limit its ability to implement meaningful reforms. At the same time, the new administration has made reengaging with the international community a central pillar of its foreign policy, aiming to rebuild Syria’s relationships across both the regional and global arenas.

Second, the government has prioritised restoring security and stability as strategic goals. These improvements are increasingly visible to both Syrians and foreign visitors in cities across the country. Despite suffocating financial constraints, the government is determined to expand spending on public safety and invest in human development.

In particular, it has made the safety of foreign visitors, especially US citizens, a matter of national concern. The government takes pride in the large number of Syrian-Americans who have maintained their ties to the homeland and now serve as an important bridge between the two societies. Accordingly, the Syrian government has placed high importance on resolving the cases of American citizens who have gone missing in Syria.

Syria cannot fulfil the aspirations of its people or meet international expectations as long as sanctions remain in place

Eliminating chemical weapons

Third, the new government, since assuming office in December, has publicly and repeatedly expressed its commitment to eliminating Syria's chemical weapons arsenal. This stockpile is part of the brutal legacy of the Assad regime, which used chemical weapons in more than 38 confirmed attacks, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The most horrific of these occurred in Eastern Ghouta on 21 August 2012, where more than 1,400 innocent civilians were killed.

Speaking before the OPCW Executive Council in The Hague last March, al-Shaibani pledged: "The chemical weapons programme developed during Assad's era is not our programme. Our commitment today is to dismantle it entirely and put an end to this painful legacy."

The government recognises that dismantling such a programme will require significant international assistance. It has therefore called on OPCW for the technical and logistical support needed to ensure the complete and effective destruction of the remaining chemical weapons, and it looks to the United States to support this process through constructive cooperation.

Fourth, in its effort to reassert full sovereignty over all Syrian territory, as guaranteed by the UN Charter, the Syrian government has taken the decisive step of expelling Iran entirely from Syrian lands. It has closed all Iranian agencies and representations and is actively monitoring the activities of Iranian agents still operating in the country. The government also intends to file legal cases against Iranian-backed militias and individuals collaborating with them.

While welcoming recent US statements affirming Syrian sovereignty over its entire territory, the Syrian government has moved to solidify national unity and inclusivity. It recently signed a framework agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), recognising their role in the political process and the broader future of the country.

During the negotiations that led to this agreement, the Syrian government expressed its willingness to transfer Islamic State (IS) detainees currently held by SDF forces into government-run facilities, which would operate under full Syrian jurisdiction and adhere to international standards of detention.

Simultaneously, the government urges foreign governments that still have nationals detained in these facilities to repatriate them according to recognised international procedures, thereby alleviating the material and logistical burden on Syria.

Reuters — Hezbollah and Syrian flags flutter on a military vehicle in Western Qalamoun, Syria, Aug, 28, 2017.

Iran-affiliated groups booted

Fifth, the Syrian people have paid a steep price for Iran's military and political interference, which was enabled and protected by the previous regime. Through this arrangement, Iranian militias—particularly Hezbollah—were allowed to carry out widespread violence and repression against the Syrian population. With strong public backing, the new Syrian government has succeeded in removing all Iranian military personnel, advisers, and diplomatic staff from the country, including affiliated groups such as Hezbollah, Fatemiyoun, and Zainebiyoun.

The government has pledged that once the newly elected Syrian People's Assembly enacts legislation concerning counter-terrorism, these militias will be officially designated as terrorist organisations banned from operating in Syria. Furthermore, the Syrian government wishes to inform the US administration of its full support for domestic and international lawsuits targeting individuals affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or Hezbollah.

Sixth, with regard to the presence of foreign fighters in the ranks of the new Syrian Arab Army, the government has taken US concerns seriously and is approaching the issue with measured caution. It has already suspended the issuance of military promotion bulletins and committed to a comprehensive review of previous ones, taking into account the reservations of all relevant parties.

At the same time, Syria affirms its full sovereign right, enshrined in international law, to exercise control over its land, sea, and airspace. It expects the United States to continue to respect this principle, as reflected in recent statements from the US Department of State.

In light of all this, I believe that Syria's response to the American demands has been both constructive and sufficient. These developments should provide a basis for renewed dialogue between the two governments, grounded in mutual respect and forward-looking cooperation.

The moment calls not for disengagement, but for political courage. The costs of delay or dismissal are high: instability, mistrust, and missed opportunity. But with principled engagement, there lies the possibility of charting a new course for Syrian-American relations—one that serves both nations and contributes to the peace and stability of the wider region.

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