Description: According to official statements from the US Treasury Department, US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order lifting sanctions on almost 518 Syrian entities which have been under US sanctions that predated Syrian President Bashar Al – Assad. Trump reconfirmed the stance he proclaimed while meeting Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May, which would effectively announce the beginning of Syria’s socio – economic reconstruction. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated that some sanctions would remain unchanged, especially the ones referring to individuals and entities related to Iran’s proxy groups in the country and other terrorist affiliates.
Impact: The lifting of US sanctions on Syria contradicts the isolationist and conservative foreign policy that Trump is trying to enforce. Despite being engaged in so called mediation efforts in several conflict flashpoints around the globe, Trump has insisted that the US is withdrawing towards its sphere of influence and focusing on reestablishing domestic stability. Facing a domestic political and civil crisis, Trump’s engagement in Syria heavily favors the strategic goals of US allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia and establishes a firm US soft power foothold in a region that has most recently been inflamed by the war between Israel and Iran. The US insertion into Syria’s domestic issues signals a prolonged US presence in the region and makes the country an effective satellite state to be used most probably in countering the threat from Iran, while facilitating assistance to regional allies.