On May 13, on the first day of his trip to Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump announced the end of sanctions against Syria. Four days earlier, Trump himself had stated that the sanctions would be maintained for another year. What led the head of U.S. imperialism to change his mind?
By Fábio Bosco
In the international arena, there is the inter-imperialist rivalry with China. On April 27 and 28, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Chinese diplomats in Damascus and at the UN and discussed a strategic partnership with Chinese imperialism in the areas of oil and gas, with possible integration into the “Belt and Road Initiative”, a central project of Chinese imperialism that aims to integrate the production chains of several countries with those of China. (1) (2)
Secondly, there is pressure to end sanctions from three allied regional powers: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, in contrast to Israel, which pressed for the maintenance of sanctions. Trump followed the direction he had already signaled a month earlier, on April 7, at the White House, when he contradicted Netanyahu by announcing negotiations with Iran on the nuclear issue, ruling out any Israeli military aggression (Israel wanted approval to bomb Iranian military and nuclear facilities). During that meeting, Trump also imposed on Netanyahu negotiations with Türkiye on its military presence in Syria, distancing himself from the Israeli plan to divide Syria into four regions under the tutelage of Israel, the United States, Türkiye and Russia.
In this way, Trump has partially separated himself from Israel’s expansionist plans through permanent military actions across the Middle East, and has affirmed the major interests of U.S. imperialism in the Gulf countries, Türkiye, Egypt and Iran. In addition to negotiations with Iran and the end of sanctions on Syria, Trump has upset Israel by negotiating directly with Hamas in Doha for the release of an American-Israeli prisoner in exchange for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. He also angered Israel by negotiating a ceasefire with the Yemeni Houthis (Ansar Allah organization – the de-facto ruler of the most populated areas of the country), thus preserving U.S. commercial and military vessels and leaving Israeli targets out of the deal.
That does not mean that there has been a rupture between the U.S. and Israel. Trump has given the green light for the genocide in Gaza (without, a priori, supporting the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza), for the annexation of the West Bank, for the continued occupation of Golan Heights in Syria, and for the daily bombings of Lebanese cities under the pretext of fighting Hezbollah and in violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Trump may, at some point, force Netanyahu to a ceasefire in Gaza, under the pretext of freeing Israeli prisoners, which could be presented as an achievement of his administration. Today, 61% of Americans prefer a diplomatic solution to the “war” in Gaza, and 54% of Americans under the age of 30 believe that Israeli actions are war crimes. (3)
Concessions by the Syrian interim government
The third reason for Trump to lift the sanctions is related to concessions made by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa (known by the pseudonym Joulani). Some American demands were already accepted by the Syrian government, such as allowing international inspections of chemical weapons production, repressing the Salafist organization Daesh (ISIS) and taking over the current detention centers for Daesh members and their families in the northeast of the country, and intensifying the search for missing U.S. nationals.
Other demands were imperialist impositions, such as repressing Palestinian organizations, expelling foreign fighters from command positions in the new Syrian army, and allowing U.S. “anti-terrorism” military actions on Syrian territory. Ahmed al-Sharaa did not agree to these demands but made concessions by arresting two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Shamel al-Ghazi, a Palestinian commander of his own organization, HTS. He also reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining the borders established by the ceasefire agreement between Israel and dictator Hafez al-Assad in 1974, which keeps part of the Golan Heights under Israeli occupation. Finally, al-Sharaa established indirect negotiations with the Zionists and, possibly, the files of the famous Israeli spy Eli Cohen, hanged in Damascus in 1968, were handed over to Israel according to information from the Zionist press. (4)
Al-Sharaa also showed a willingness to sign neo-colonialist agreements with Trump for the exploration of gas and oil, the same willingness shown by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regarding Iranian oil and gas, both inspired by the neo-colonial agreement signed between the U.S. and Ukraine. (5) (6)
Syrian people celebrate in the streets
Despite the concessions, the end of sanctions was celebrated in the streets of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia, Tartous, Daraa, among others. A week later, the European Union, interested in the return of some of the millions of Syrian refugees, also lifted the sanctions.
The first effect was the significant strengthening of the Syrian Lira against the dollar. The expectation is that the end of the sanctions will accelerate the country’s economic reconstruction. Since the last years of the Assad regime, 90% of the population has lived below the poverty line and homes have only two hours of electricity per day. In addition, there are areas completely in ruins, such as the largest Palestinian refugee camp, Al-Yarmouk.
The Kurdish Mazloum Abdi, leader of the SDF (the main militia operating in Syria led by the Kurdish PYD party), welcomed Trump’s announcement. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also welcomed the end of the sanctions, certain that the Syrian economic recovery will benefit the Lebanese economy.
The end of imperialist sanctions is undoubtedly an achievement for the Syrian people. The problem is that the neoliberal policies of the Syrian government will concentrate wealth in the hands of the Syrian bourgeoisie in cooperation with international companies, and will prevent a significant portion of the population from escaping poverty.
Israeli attacks, sectarian massacres and disappearances
In addition to the economy, the interim government led by al-Sharaa faces three other major challenges: Israeli military attacks on Syrian territory, sectarian massacres against the Alawite and Druze population, and the issue of the 136,000 people missing in the old regime’s prison system.
Despite ongoing negotiations, Israel is keeping its plan to divide Syria into four regions on hold: one under Israeli control in the south, another under U.S. control in the northeast, another under Russian control on the coast, and finally one under Turkish control from Damascus to the north of the country. Although this plan has the support of the Assadists and the Iranian regime, as well as minority sectors among the Druze led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and leaders of the Kurdish PYD party, it depends on the support of the United States at a time when Trump’s focus is on China, which could lead him to, eventually, withdraw US troops from northeastern Syria.
In any case, Israel continues to work to weaken Syria because it is aware that the Syrian population rejects the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian genocide, and therefore will inevitably pressure any Syrian government to fight for the return of the Golan Heights and the liberation of Palestine in the future.
Confronting Israeli aggression is made difficult by the immense military inequality. In any case, the Syrian interim government has an obligation to, at the very least, guarantee the means for self-defense for the population in the provinces of Deraa and Quneitra, and to show solidarity with other Arab peoples under Israeli attack, such as Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen, in order to confront Zionist aggression.
Another issue is the sectarian massacres against the Alawite population in the coastal provinces, and against the Druze population in Jaramana, Sahnaya and the province of Sweida, in which members of the new security forces and Salafist militias and individuals allied with the current regime were directly involved. To date, the commission of inquiry appointed by al-Sharaa to investigate the coastal massacres that occurred in early March has not presented its report. Furthermore, there have been no measures to expel the Salafist segments involved in the attacks from the security forces, nor to disarm and arrest all those involved who are not members of the official security forces.
Finally, the issue of the 136,000 missing people in the Syrian prison system remains an open wound in Syrian society. On May 18, Culture Minister Mohammad Saleh announced the formation of an “Independent National Authority for the Missing” on the steps of the National Museum, where an exhibition “Detainees and Missing” was opened. Famous Arabic songs for freedom were heard: “Where Are They” by Fayrouz, and “A Bird Came to the Window” by Marcel Khalife. To date, there is little information about the missing people and few official Assadist criminals have been punished.
The solution to all these issues lies in strengthening the independent self-organization of the working class, the only social class fully interested in ending poverty and unemployment, expanding democratic freedoms, overcoming the sectarian divisions rooted in the actions of French imperialism and the Syrian dictatorships that succeeded it, ensuring transitional justice against the crimes of the dictatorship, and building solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Notes
(1) https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=350634
(2) https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/04/29/syria-fm-says-wants-to-strengthen-relations-with-china
(3) https://news.gallup.com/poll/657404/less-half-sympathetic-toward-israelis.aspx
https://globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/americans-grow-more-divided-us-support-israel
(4) https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/ahmed-al-sharaa-confirms-syria-and-israel-indirect-deconfliction-talks
(5) https://www.newarab.com/news/syria-seeks-us-investment-amid-reports-talks-israel
(6) https://www.newarab.com/news/tehran-says-no-objection-us-investment-iran
