Can Syria's Assad leverage earthquake to come in from the cold?
Aid for disaster recovery could provide an excuse for some countries in the region to resume normal relations with the Syrian regime.
![Assad earthquake](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2023-02/GettyImages-1246847697.jpg?h=1d34674f&itok=vsMPz-Sq)
When a pair of massive earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Feb. 6, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad scented an opportunity.
Might the catastrophe, which has claimed at least 20,000 lives so far, more than 3,500 in Syria, help break his diplomatic isolation and ease international sanctions imposed on his regime?