Foreign Policy: This is why Arab normalization with Assad failed
The Foreign Policy magazine, published an article by Charles Lister, director of the Syria Department at the Middle East Institute for Research, which he analyze the Arab path to normalize relations with Syrian president Bashar al Assad.
Lister wrote that the desire to see Syria stabilize was the main goal of normalizing the region with Assad’s government, but what happened is the opposite, due to Damascus’ refusal to make concessions.
Lister pointed out that that the failure to agree on a mechanism for the delivery of UN aid to northwestern Syria, which ended last month, is a great example of the failure of the idea that normalization with Assad would lead to concessions.
It was reported from UN officials that Assad told UN officials in recent weeks that he doesn’t intend to re-contact with the Constitutional Committee, and won’t continue the “step by step” approach.
Stopping the flow of drugs from Syria was a key item in the normalization efforts, but the data indicates that a billion US dollars’ worth of Syrian-made Captagon was confiscated across the region during the past three months.
Lister added that countries were hoping for the start of the return of refugees to Syria, but what is happening is that the risky journeys of Syrians towards Europe are increasing, while Syria’s neighboring countries are enacting policies to force the refugees to leave.
The rapid collapse of the Syrian economy, explaining that the Syrian pound has lost 77% of its value over the past three months, with the continued military escalation across the country.
