The US’ Syria Bet Just Turned Deadly

Excerpt

The terrorist attack that killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Syria last month exposed dangerous flaws in US Syria policy that have festered since the Assad regime’s collapse a year ago. The perpetrator of the attack was a member of Syria’s General Security Force, who Syrian authorities say held extremist views. 

He was slated to be dismissed on December 10, three days before the attack, but remained on duty due to an administrative weekend. 

President Donald Trump absolved Syrian president Ahmed al-Shara of responsibility, claiming that the assailant was a member of the Islamic State (ISIS) and asserting that the attack took place in an area beyond the Syrian government’s control, which is unfortunately not the case. 

This attack was the foreseeable outcome of the American bet on Shara’s fragile government. Lifting sanctions on Syria without preconditions and conferring external legitimacy to the new regime, even as Syria’s internal dynamics remain dire, was a step too far, too fast. It was a gamble meant to draw Damascus closer to US interests, but it is failing. The Syrian government has yet to take even the most basic steps to reform its institutions or stabilize the country.

Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, focusing on Middle East affairs and the Levant.