Syria's de facto ruler Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 30, 2024. (Credit: Reuters)
In the weeks following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, Syria’s new leader, Sharaa, launched a broad diplomatic charm offensive aimed at Western countries.His goal was to secure recognition of his authority and ease the economic sanctions that have crippled a country already suffocated by more than 13 years of war. However, more than two months into his campaign, results remain limited.While the United States and the European Union have suspended some sanctions — and Syria’s foreign minister, Assaad al-Shibani, was invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos last January — the country’s shattered economy needs far more to recover, or it risks total collapse. Read more Syria receives local currency printed in Russia before Assad's fall Facing this reality, Sharaa no longer appears willing to...
In the weeks following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, Syria’s new leader, Sharaa, launched a broad diplomatic charm offensive aimed at Western countries.His goal was to secure recognition of his authority and ease the economic sanctions that have crippled a country already suffocated by more than 13 years of war. However, more than two months into his campaign, results remain limited.While the United States and the European Union have suspended some sanctions — and Syria’s foreign minister, Assaad al-Shibani, was invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos last January — the country’s shattered economy needs far more to recover, or it risks total collapse. Read more Syria receives local currency printed in Russia before Assad's fall Facing this reality, Sharaa no longer appears...