Lifting Syria Sanctions Could Be a Major Boon — if We Don’t Repeat History’s Mistakes

Will Trump’s order to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria be followed?

President Donald Trump ordered something last week that previously seemed impossible: lifting U.S. economic sanctions. At a U.S.-Saudi investment forum in Riyadh, he declared that he was "ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness." Then he shook hands with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the new Syrian president, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani. As Trump alluded to in his speech, U.S. sanctions were …

After years of war and isolation, Syria's economy is on the ground. Now, the US President's decision to lift sanctions creates hope – including in the trading metropolis of Aleppo.

Syria Steps into a New Phase of Global Reintegration: U.S. Sanctions Relief Underway, Official Participation at WHO Assembly - The Syrian Observer

The United States has confirmed that the process of lifting sanctions on Syria is now underway, signaling a potential breakthrough in Damascus’s efforts to reenter the regional and international system after years of isolation. The announcement comes on the heels of a landmark meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Syrian transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh last week—a move widely seen as a cornerstone in Washington’s evolv…

Lifting Syria sanctions could be a major boon — if we don’t repeat history’s mistakes

President Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Syria has the potential to revitalize the Syrian economy, create a safer Middle East, and strengthen U.S. relationships in the region, but will require a strategic approach and a commitment to supporting the new Syrian leadership.

Will lifting US sanctions be a key turning point for Syria?

In a surprise statement last week in Saudi Arabia on the first stop of a Middle East tour, US President Donald Trump said he would lift all sanctions on Syria, a decision which caught the world off guard, including members of his own administration. The announcement, seen as the first step towards normalising ties, came after a 33-minute meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the first such encounter between the presidents of the two cou…

Trump’s lifting of Syria sanctions is a win for Turkey, too – pointing to outsized role middle powers can play in regional affairs

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa meet in Turkey on April 11, 2025. TUR Presidency/ Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Handout/Anadolu via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump announced while in Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025, that the United States would lift sanctions on Syria. The turnaround was a huge victory for the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he attempts to consolidate power nearly six months on…