Since Trump began lifting sanctions in May, no time has been wasted. US investment delegations have been flocking to Damascus, and security cooperation has already started.
The US president hasn't invested enough political capital in the painstaking details of peacemaking. Instead, he has focused on short-term truces he can boast about in his quest for a Nobel prize.
On Monday, the Syrian president shook hands with Trump at the White House. Speaking to Al Majalla, a former State Department official explains why this is a moment she could have never imagined.
In what could be a historic turning point in US-Syria relations, the new government in Damascus will likely join the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS)
Created by then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the Rapid Support Forces have ripped the country in two. This is what happens when a state gives up its monopoly on the legitimate use of force.
Having lost most of its weaponry, fighters, and supply lines, the group can no longer respond as it once did. It no longer cites the right to resist, nor does it seek to impose a deterrent.
Those who are able to bury their dead are among the lucky. For others, not knowing the fate of their missing loved ones or receiving mutilated corpses impossible to identify adds insult to injury.
An axis comprising Israel, Ethiopia, and Somaliland appears to be emerging, which has the potential to polarise the Horn of Africa and rapidly accelerate its militarisation
For those who look closely, there were recurring cultural themes over the past 12 months, whether in cinema, music, art, or literature. There were also common threats and shared opportunities.
London is making it clear that it expects more than just symbolic gestures from Damascus when it comes to holding security forces accountable for atrocities