US officials recently paid an unprecedented visit to Damascus, their first encounter of this sort since the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. American diplomats formally engaged with the new leadership in Syria. This visit is also taken as a sign that America is changing its diplomatic track in Syria, part of an emerging realignment in US Middle East policy focused on democratic change and stability in the region.
The delegation consisted of senior Biden administration diplomats who spoke with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) representatives The two sides used this weekend’s talks to sketch a framework based on “inclusiveness and protection of minority rights that is essential for Syria government 2024,” the officials inside Western Syria and the southern province of Deraa said.
Additionally, they intended to meet the myriad civil society actors to test the waters on public opinion and governance going forward.
The changing balance of power under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
HTS went from being an opposing group to, after the shakeup replacing Assad, a new defacto ruling power of Syria. Such evolution raises indispensable concerns regarding the ways of HTS governance, as well as whether the democratic way is possible in the country or not. There are fears the group will seek to implement a hardline Islamic government that will exclude minorities and curtail women’s rights — the very values U.S. officials were trying to promote.
This ambiguity regarding post-civil war governance in Syria continues to make Western countries reluctant to enter into a closer relationship with Assad. With its controversial and complex history, analysts are paying attention to HTS’s actions and whether or not the group will continue to align itself with a democratic framework.
The recent visit highlights a stark difference in attitude from Western powers, who are beginning to reassess HTS’s status as a terrorist organization. The change has come alongside increased conversations among US officials in Syria and their allies in France and Britain, who are scrambling to find ways to reduce Syria’s new leadership’s isolation.
In the meantime, as these discussions are taking place, the international community is being invited to cooperate with the new governance of the Syrian state in a productive manner. US and allied diplomats at the meetings made clear that over time HTS’s record of action and commitment to democratic principles will be decisive with regard to HTS’s designation.
Syria: Civil Society and Attitude of the Public
These latest engagements in Damascus did not happen in a vacuum; they are indicative of changing public sentiment regarding democracy and civil rights among Syrians. After the fall of Assad, people in downtown Damascus started to demonstrate in demand for replacing Assad with a civil & secular state where citizens live as equal citizens including women. This civil society outcry adds support to the call for a political system that truly embraces the principles of inclusivity and equality that American diplomats assure us have permeated the Egyptian populace.
In addition, a minimal number of human rights officers from the United Nations have disclosed this week, they have decided to return to Syria for the first time in many years to watch the situation, echoing mounting demands for accountability after the 10-year-old civil conflict. These moves only underscore the need for continued international involvement over US relations with Syria, and guaranteeing that all Syrians see their rights fully respected as this important transition phase unfolds.
Examining how those new leaders in Syria will or will not be able to meet these urgent social and political needs in the international diplomatic power vacuum that will be left after the fall of the Assad regime are questions all too relevant in a region still picking up the pieces of war.
