Syria

While recent violence and the failure to get sanctions lifted are huge challenges, the agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces to integrate into state institutions helps Syria’s beleaguered interim government regain its footing.

Syria’s new leaders will need to evolve again and become a movement that speaks to the aspirations of all the Syrian people and addresses their pressing economic concerns and their need for rebuilt, responsive, representative institutions of governance and security.

For Syria to have a chance at stability, the United States and the EU need to urgently consider lifting the layers of economic sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad and allow Gulf countries to help rebuild the war-torn country.

Given how Syria after 2011 became a cockpit for external intervention in domestic affairs, the early signs this time for engagement of Gulf states appear more promising, particularly due to their ability to convene and lead in regional affairs.

On February 4, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the collapse of the Assad regime and the future of Syria.

The flurry of diplomatic activity and the leadership’s announcement of an extended timeline for holding elections signal a prolonged, difficult transition for Syria, with complex internal jousting for power also shaped by external influence.

Gulf states met the Syrian regime’s fall with unity and pragmatism. But already differences are emerging in response to the political transition and the possibility of chaos, extremism, and a feeble state unable to preserve its territorial integrity.

A Turkish-led proxy force in Syria has begun an offensive targeting the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane, an action that Kurdish leaders warn will lead to ethnic cleansing and could derail the fight against ISIS in northeast Syria.