Both Republicans and Democrats support President Donald Trump in building a relationship with Syria — though the road ahead is long and complicated.
The Trump administration has begun lifting sanctions on Syria and isn’t necessarily pushing for the country’s new leadership to establish a democracy. Experts don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing. And some Democrats, too, are willing to see how the country’s new leadership plays out.
“I want a democracy in Syria, but there are some really important interim steps that this government can take,” Sen. Chris Murphy told NOTUS. “Simply showing a commitment to building a Syria that doesn’t discriminate based upon sect or ethnicity is really important.”
“It would be in the U.S. interest if Syria was stable, and if our partners, in particular the Kurds, felt safe,” Murphy said.
Trump announced he was lifting sanctions on Syria earlier this month during his meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the interim president of Syria who led the rebellion that defeated Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Sens. James Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, both supported the move to “address U.S. national security concerns.”
“This will help Syria remain on the path to freedom from the malign influence of Iran and Russia, from China’s attempt to gain an economic foothold in the Middle East, and from the resurgence of ISIS,” the two said in a joint statement.
Experts and activists warn that al-Sharaa seems to have larger aspirations.
“He remains an authoritarian at heart,” Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian author and human rights activist, said during a panel discussion last Wednesday.
“His ambition, whether that he wants to build this country on the Saudi model or on the UAE model, that means he is committed to an authoritarian form of governance system. Perhaps benign authoritarianism, but authoritarian nonetheless.”
Even so, during his meeting with al-Sharaa, Trump heaped compliments on the young rebel, calling him “charismatic” and “handsome” — a posture that experts say could go a long way.
“Without getting anything from al-Sharaa, you’re calling him ‘charismatic,’ ‘handsome,’ ‘strong man,’ and in front of his supporters … you are emboldening the Sunni community inside Syria,” Ahed Al Hendi, a former political prisoner under the al-Assad regime and the founder of Syrian Youth for Justice, said on the panel.
Tensions between religious and ethnic groups in Syria pose major complications for the future of the U.S.-Syria relationship. The majority of the country’s population, like al-Sharaa himself, is Sunni Muslim. But a large Kurdish population in the northwest of the country has traditionally been backed, armed and trained by the U.S. military.
Those dynamics will test the new leader of the country, especially given his background and association with Sunni militant groups that started as a branch of al-Qaida.
They will also test how the U.S. navigates its diplomatic relationship with Syria. During Trump’s first term, Republicans broke with Trump for moving U.S. troops out of Syria and saying that the U.S. had no business backing the Kurdish-led forces. This time around, Israel, which began striking Syria after al-Assad’s government fell, has been against al-Sharaa’s government. That said, the Israeli strikes have all but stopped since Trump’s meeting with the Syrian president.
Trump’s love of a “strongman” image in foreign policy is nothing new. His Middle East trip included meetings with Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Both personally asked Trump to meet with al-Sharaa.
Trump’s praise and connection to the new leader will work to solidify his place in the new government, regardless of the form it takes.
“Clearly, the U.S. seems to have its face set towards the legitimation of the new government in Damascus,” said Jonathan Spyer, the director of research for the Middle East Forum. “From the Kurdish point of view, that means they’re likely to be buying time and looking out for the best deal that they can get.”
While building a democratic government may not be an immediate priority, Democrats are looking for a government that allows for more tolerance, protection of minorities and a lack of war and narco-trafficking. Stability is the top priority.
“Do we want a democratic Syria? Of course, but we want a stable Syria,” Murphy said.
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John T. Seward is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.