In Syria, Arab engagement with Assad may fall short
The Biden administration’s realism on Syria frustrates critics, as the country becomes the site of Israeli attacks and US-Iran clashes.
The Biden administration is getting some heat from critics for not doing enough to stop normalization of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s government by Arab countries.
A bipartisan Syria policy letter, addressed to US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, signed by approximately 40 former senior officials and experts, calls for a second look at Syria policy, as Elizabeth Hagedorn reports.
The catalyst for the letter has been the accelerated trend toward normalization of the Assad government by Arab states since the earthquake in Turkey and Syria in February.
The letter calls on the Biden administration to oppose normalization in both deed and word; make more expansive use of sanctions; employ a strategic approach to aid; and expand entry points and paths for humanitarian assistance, including outside of both Syrian government control and the UN system.
