The destroyed silos of the Beirut Port and the headquarters of Électricité du Liban in the background, on March 30, 2025, as seen from the waterfront of the capital. (Illustrative photo by Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Nearly six months after former U.S. President Joe Biden extended the enforcement of the Caesar Act on Dec. 23, 2024, his successor, Donald Trump, announced on May 13 his intention to order “the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” during a speech made at an investment forum in Riyadh as part of his regional tour.The Caesar Act was renewed despite the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024 — the very target of the sanctions. Originally put in place five years earlier by Trump, the legislation imposes sanctions on all actors — including foreign entities — who assist the Syrian regime in acquiring resources or technologies that bolster its military capabilities or contribute to Syria’s reconstruction, explains Tamirace Fakhoury, Associate Professor of International Politics and...
Nearly six months after former U.S. President Joe Biden extended the enforcement of the Caesar Act on Dec. 23, 2024, his successor, Donald Trump, announced on May 13 his intention to order “the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” during a speech made at an investment forum in Riyadh as part of his regional tour.The Caesar Act was renewed despite the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024 — the very target of the sanctions. Originally put in place five years earlier by Trump, the legislation imposes sanctions on all actors — including foreign entities — who assist the Syrian regime in acquiring resources or technologies that bolster its military capabilities or contribute to Syria’s reconstruction, explains Tamirace Fakhoury, Associate Professor of International...