February 26, 2026 | WSJ Letter to the Editor
A Framework for Syria’s Religious Minorities
If Washington is serious about a stable Damascus, it must use its leverage now before sectarian fractures harden beyond repair.
February 26, 2026 | WSJ Letter to the Editor
A Framework for Syria’s Religious Minorities
If Washington is serious about a stable Damascus, it must use its leverage now before sectarian fractures harden beyond repair.
Excerpt
In “Syria’s Minorities Need American Help” (Houses of Worship, Feb. 20), Sam Brownback rightly argues that U.S. support for Syria’s new government should be conditioned on enforceable protections for religious and ethnic minorities. His warning is timely, particularly after sectarian massacres targeting Alawite and Druze communities.
Mr. Brownback proposes that “ethnic and religious minorities must be allowed to organize and control their own security forces,” but that alone is not a cure. Syria is a fragile state emerging from civil war; the proliferation of armed minority forces risks deepening fragmentation. Washington has centered its policy on engaging Ahmad al-Sharaa’s government, and that leverage should be used to secure minority protections.
Ahmad Sharawi is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.