The New York Times: What does Washington hope from Damascus?

According to The New York Times, the administration of US President Donald Trump has decided to turn a new page with Syria, after long years of sanctions and political isolation.

This change came after the fall of the Assad regime at the hands of the armed opposition, as Washington began taking steps towards normalizing relations with Damascus.

The US steps began with easing economic sanctions, followed by a list of aspirations that the US administration hopes the new Syrian government headed by Ahmed al Sharaa will adhere to.

These aspirations include normalizing relations with Israel, dismantling the remaining chemical weapons arsenal, and resolving the issue of foreign fighters and Palestinian factions, in exchange for what Washington considers an “opportunity to rebuild Syria” with indirect support from the United States.

After months of US neglect of the Syrian crisis following the fall of Assad, Trump surprised everyone by announcing during a visit to Saudi Arabia last May his intention to suspend economic sanctions on Syria, justifying this by giving it “a chance to be a great country”.

In a move described as a radical political coup, Trump signed an executive order lifting most of the sanctions, although some measures still require congressional approval.

But the message was clear: Washington wouldn’t oppose anyone who re-engaged with Syria economically.

Damascus welcomed this initiative, especially in light of the extreme poverty suffered by more than 90% of the population, according to UN estimates.

In this regard, the United States have several expectations from the New Syria:

Peace with Israel without preconditions!

Washington hopes that Syria will move away from its traditional hostility toward Israel.

During his meeting with al Sharaa, Trump called for initiating steps toward normalizing relations, hoping that Damascus would join the “Abraham Accords”.

In this context, Israeli diplomats spoke of secret meetings between officials from both sides, indicating al Sharaa’s seriousness in dealing with this sensitive issue.

Closing the Syrian Chemical Weapons issue once and for All!

One of Washington’s priorities is to end its chemical weapons program, whose roots date back to the 1970s.

After the former regime used these weapons during the war, Syria signed an agreement in 2013 to close 27 chemical facilities.

The new Syrian government has invited international inspectors to cooperate, but there are still about 100 suspicious sites that haven’t yet been disclosed, posing a significant challenge in light of the country’s division.

Detaining Foreign Fighters Instead of Expelling Them!

Since the start of the revolution, Syria has attracted thousands of foreign fighters who joined various jihadist organizations.

Ahmed al Sharaa, who was previously part of the local al Qaeda, later sought to distance himself from extremism.
However, Washington expressed concern about these fighters remaining inside Syria.

Rejecting their expulsion, al Sharaa began integrating them into the national army, citing the difficulty of returning them to their countries, which might refuse to accept them or sentence them to death.

Therefore, the US administration softened its demands, now demanding only “transparency” in dealing with their presence.

Excluding Palestinian Armed Factions!

From the thorny issues the presence of Palestinian factions in Syria, especially those supported by Iran, such as Islamic Jihad, is also a contentious issue.

In a preemptive move, the Sharaa government arrested leaders of this movement, but pressure continues to expel all factions.

However, deportation options are limited, as neighboring countries refuse to receive these groups, making implementing this request complicated in light of the fragile regional situation.

Ending Iranian influence in Syria!

Washington has asked Damascus to expel pro-Iranian forces, which have long used Syrian territory as a strategic corridor for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Syrian transitional president Ahmed al Sharaa doesn’t oppose this approach, but is calling for international intelligence support to implement it.

Revealing the fate of missing Americans!

Finding missing Americans, most notably journalist Austin Tice, is a personal priority for President Trump.

Ahmed al Sharaa has expressed his willingness to cooperate and has met with Tice’s mother as part of the search efforts.

Preventing the return of ISIS!

The threat of ISIS remains, despite its loss of its strongholds in eastern Syria.

While US forces remain in eight bases in coordination with the SDF, Washington aims to gradually reduce its military presence and hand over security responsibilities to the Syrian government.

Washington is also demanding that Damascus close camps housing ISIS families, which have become breeding grounds for extremism, and transfer responsibility for prisons holding ISIS members to the new government.

This could be a risky move given the weakness of the current security infrastructure.

Is Syria prepared to meet Washington’s conditions?

Questions remain about the new Syrian government’s willingness to adhere to these complex US aspirations, given the turbulent domestic situation and delicate regional balances.

Nevertheless, these initial steps point to the beginning of a new path in the relationship between Damascus and Washington, one that could redraw the map of the Middle East.