As U.S. Warms Ties With Syria, What Does it Expect?
Then, President Trump flipped the script.
During a visit to Saudi Arabia in May, he made a surprising announcement: The United States would suspend longstanding economic sanctions in a good will gesture meant to give Syria 'a chance at greatness.'
It was a head-spinning reversal that was cheered in Syria, where more than 90 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to the United Nations.
Then on Monday, President Trump signed an executive order ending most of the sanctions. Not all sanctions are in his power to repeal — some require approval from Congress. Even so, the move is a signal to other countries and financial institutions that they will not face repercussions from Washington for renewed economic dealings with Syria — throwing a lifeline to the new government in Damascus despite concerns about how its Islamist president will govern the country going forward.
As the U.S. approach has warmed, the Trump administration has signaled that it has limited interest in how Syria and other countries in the region run their internal affairs.
But over the past few months, U.S. officials have laid out a number of expectations for how Syria handles issues of regional importance, such as security and relations with neighboring states. These were not presented as conditions, rather broader goals for President Ahmed al-Shara, who led the rebel forces that overthrew the Assad family dictatorship after five decades in power.
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