Washington Post: The United States must lift sanctions on Syria
The Washington Post reported that Syria is experiencing economic decline and its security is at risk, noting that the United States could save the country, which is on the verge of becoming a failed state, by lifting sanctions, even if only temporarily.
The Washington Post noted in its editorial that Syria, more than three months after the overthrow of ousted President Bashar al Assad’s regime, remains in a desperate situation.
Fourteen years of civil war have devastated its economy, with 90% of Syrians living below the poverty line and some 16.5 million people dependent on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs.
The new government is still struggling to impose security, as it faces armed remnants of the ousted regime’s supporters, a rise in kidnappings and killings, and Israeli airstrikes targeting weapons depots, the newspaper says.
Interim Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa faces daunting challenges, such as fixing the economic chaos, establishing security, and preventing the country from fragmenting along sectarian lines.
He needs all possible assistance, and the United States can do so by immediately lifting the US economic sanctions that are hampering Syria’s recovery.
The United States first imposed sanctions on Syria in 1979, due to its interference in Lebanon.
President George W. Bush added further sanctions, declaring Syria part of the “axis of evil” for its possession of banned chemical weapons.
Sanctions were tightened after the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. In 2019, the Caesar Act was passed, expanding the scope of “secondary sanctions” to include non-US entities.
The sanctions on Syria, backed by Britain, the European Union, and other countries, are among the toughest in the world and have crippled the Syrian economy, but have only marginally affected Assad and his entourage due to Russia and drugs.
According to the Washington Post, indeed some countries have eased specific sanctions to allow the new rulers to restore the country’s health.
The European Union suspended sanctions on the energy, banking, and transportation sectors.
Britain lifted sanctions on 24 Syrian entities and unfroze the assets of the Syrian Central Bank.
A few days ago, Canada allowed funds to reach Syrian banks.
However, Syria hasn’t yet seen a significant influx of financial aid and foreign investment due to the continued strict US sanctions, and Gulf states remain reluctant to provide assistance for fear of violating US law.
The Syrian transitional president Ahmed al Sharaa called for the lifting of sanctions and took some positive steps, signing an agreement to integrate the Kurdish-led, US-backed militia into the National Security Service.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed this step but called on the government to hold accountable those who perpetrated the massacre against the Alawites.
Syrian and international relief organizations, human rights organizations, and American Jews who fled Syria decades ago and wish to return to restore ancient Jewish temples have called on the Trump administration to ease the sanctions.
Although the United States has justification for its caution, the newspaper concludes, it can, without spending a single dollar, prevent Syria from becoming a failed state by temporarily lifting sanctions.
