After supporting efforts to oust him, some of Washington’s Gulf allies have accepted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is here to stay and are working on restoring ties with Damascus. On Friday, a US official warned US allies against getting friendly with Assad and threatened sanctions.
Joey Hood, the acting assistant secretary of state for Near East affairs, said the US does “not intend to normalize” relations with Assad unless there is a “major change in behavior.” He said others that are “considering making moves” should think “very carefully” about it.
Hood’s comments come amid reports that Syria and Saudi Arabia are working towards normalizing relations. The UAE has already restored ties with Assad and reopened its embassy in Syria in 2018.
Hood brought up the Caesar Act, which enables the US to impose sanctions on anyone who is doing business with the Syrian government, and suggested Washington’s Arab allies could be targeted.
“And I would also, of course, add that we also have the Caesar Act sanctions. This is a law that has wide bipartisan support in the Congress, and the administration is going to follow the law on that. And so governments and businesses need to be careful that their proposed or envisioned transactions don’t expose them to potential sanctions from the United States under that act,” he said.
US sanctions under the Caesar Act purposely target Syria’s construction and energy sectors, preventing the country from rebuilding after 10 years of war. The crushing sanctions have had a devastating impact on Syria’s civilian population, and the Biden administration seems determined to keep them in place.
The majority of Syrians rejected the US plan to replace Syria’s secular government with Saudi style Al Qaeda thugs. The US threw everything at Syria with the exception of a nuclear bomb. They used lies, false flag chemical attacks, Syria’s neighbors, and of course, crushing inhumane sanctions to bring Syria to its knees. They did all this while pretending to care about the Syrian people. In response to the US democracy and values, the starving Syrians who never attacked us say, “No, thank you. Keep it to yourself.”
US policies towards Syria are not only illegal but highly immoral as well. They are targeting the population, the men, women and children in the street. Its the US that should change its shockingly inhumane behaviour. Fortunately for Syria it has some influential friends in Russia, China and Iran.
Joey the Hood… Seems an appropriate name for the latest DC thug threatening countries because they don’t obey.
Of course the “behavioral” changes the US demands are typical. 1. Conform to the western financial system. 2. Borrow money from that system to buy weapons and mega projects. 3. Accept US bases and further military adventures conducted from that base. 4. All oil and other natural resource trade is conducted in US dollars and at US direction.
Nailed it
Two more friendly amendments. They would like a cheap gas line from the gulf through Syria to eliminate Europe’s reliance on Russia, which will certainly damage the Russian economy. Secondly, they would enslave the people including children to make cheaper products. Otherwise you covered it fully.
and stop asking for the return of the Golan Heights.
Right, the Caesar Act was dictated by Bibi.
The endless wars are just that folks. Endless…the only blood being spilled is Muslim…they are not the chosen ones. If you are not chosen you are worthless..but the chosen want your land gold oil and the knowledge..
About 10 percent of the Syrians are Christians including Armenian Christians as well. Al Qaeda has been killing many but would like to kill them all. The US has been supporting Al Qaeda in Syria. Do the American Christians care?
Forgive me. We confuse faith with the absurd blood thirsty world of agnostic politics. Al Ciada has nothing to do with Islam…How can American Christians know the facts…the Evangelical takeover is politically motivated to justify Israeli oppression.
and what happened to the Armenians was genocide under political oppression…we choose ignorance..we can learn and humble ourselves…
They have us arguing over use of pronouns…distractions…There in no justification for the US to be in the Middle East.
The Biden clown show cant even fix roads in the US..
The “Caesar Act”?!? No one in Washington could carry Caesar’s toga.
Coercion, plain and simple, what Russia is accused of attempting using the oil/gas “weapon”.
There are new methods being applied to undermine Syria — besides Caesar Act. Lately, SDF, presumably Kurdish led Syrian force, in reality US mercenaries, are using Israeli methods to undermine economy.
We are hearing about shortage of wheat. UN attributed it to climate. In reality, SDF burned wheat fields, stole wheat from granaries, as well as stealing sheep and other livestock. In Palestinian occupied territories Israel often burns crops, floods them with sewage, uproots olive trees, topples vegetable stands on open air markets, etc, etc.
These tactics are new, and Syria was unprepared for this level of depravity.
Biden administration is clearly having its spine fortified by unhappy new Israeli government. Being to the right of Netanyahu — the key players are determined to let Biden know where they stand. To start with — Egypt’s audacious move — sending ambulances and emergency supplies into Gaza, has to be thwarted. Hardliners in Israel and among their supporters in US place needs of Israel first. And in their view, Egypt should not have been rewarded by US promoting them to ceasefire brokers. Thus, the new rulers want to walk that back.
Allowing Egypt to enter with construction equipment without American objection is seen as demonstrating weakness. And when Egypt announced reconstruction plans — the new Israeli government stepped up, and objected to the importation of cement.
Egypt is also advising Biden to accept Assad, as he is popular, and Syria is largely liberated from Islamists. Idlib region can also be reintegrated, as soon as HTS loses grip on garden variety militants. And the longer it festers — the less influence HTS has. Now that Turkey has sealed every possible venue for forcing refugee flow into Turkey, HTS has no leverage. Kurds have lost their leverage as well. Being on US payroll is not buying them post-war points.
Israel is adamantly opposed to normalizing relations with Syria.
Thus, the hardline US Israeli wing is having upper hand at present. But hardliners are being opposed by “realists”. This school of thought believes that US global primacy takes precedence over short term Israeli goals, as without US global primacy, Israel project cannot survive. This wing of Israeli supporters approves of Egypt’s meddling. For one — it gives US some leverage with Egypt. And somebody to pull chestnuts from Palestinian fire, if need be. This school of though believes in outsourcing imperial tasks, giving more time to US for more important challenges.
Such divergencies will become more pronounced as time goes by.
What a lovely post, many thanks.
The West gets much sadistic pleasure in the suffering Syrian people.
NATO is its poison tipped spear.
This only serves to strengthen China Russia and Iran in the region.
Washington’s handling of Syria in the last 10 years is a major Policy Failure and completely unnecessary.
“Nothing fundamental is going to change” J. Biden POTUS candidate 2020