Trump says we might normalize relations with Syria: Last year, Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed. Now, President Donald Trump is in the Middle East, exploring normalizing relations with the new government of Syria and promising to lift sanctions.
Trump met with Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa (a historic moment, because the heads of the U.S. and Syria have not sat down together since 2000). "With the support of leaders in this room, and the great leaders you are, we are currently exploring normalizing relations with Syria's new government," said Trump. "It gives them a chance for greatness," he added. "The sanctions were really crippling, very powerful."
Normalizing relations with Syria would align with Saudi Arabia's goal of ensuring the new Syrian government doesn't establish too close a relationship with Iran, one of Assad's closest backers. It would also possibly complicate the U.S.-Israel relationship, as Israel has been conducting airstrikes on southwestern Syria since the toppling of the Assad regime. (Syria's Foreign Ministry said that Israel's strikes in April were responsible for the "near-total destruction of the Hama military airport and the injury of dozens of civilians and military personnel"; multiple cities and air bases have been targeted over the last few months.) But the possibility of ending sanctions on Syria and the new government being able to rebuild the country is a welcome one; a slightly more stable Middle East might be in sight.
