PNN – The recent developments in Syria, which ultimately led to the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government and the rise of opposition movements led by Tahrir al-Sham and Mohammad al-Jolani, are considered an important turning point in the political-security structure of the Middle East. In the meantime, America is trying to direct these developments in its desired direction with new policies.
Although the future of these developments is still vague and uncertain, what can be said with certainty is that external actors are trying to intervene in Syria and shape the new political structure of this country according to their own will and interests.
In the meantime, the United States of America is one of the actors that tries to direct the course of developments in Syria in a direction where not only the future government of this country will not be a challenge for Washington’s allies and especially the Israeli regime in the Middle East, but Syria will become a new base for the United States.
Based on this, in this report, we have tried to examine the possible policy of America towards the new Syria by examining the comments and actions taken by the Biden government in relation to the recent developments in Syria.
The support of the Biden administration for the recent developments in Syria
The stance of the Biden government against the new Syria can be evaluated through the comments of Joe Biden and his government members regarding Syria and its future. These comments can be categorized in several axes:
Maintaining stability and security in Syria: Perhaps the most important issue that worries the US about the developments in Syria and is considered the basis of its future concerns regarding Syria is the issue of maintaining stability and security in Syria after the fall of the Assad government. Various comments have been made by American officials in this regard.
For example, we can refer to the press conference of John Kirby, the spokesman of the White House on December 10th, to discuss the positions of the US government regarding Syria. According to him, the first principle is maintaining stability in Syria.
According to him, it is in our interest and the interests of our national security that Syria is stable and safe. It is also in our best interest to continue to pressure ISIS and to continue the anti-ISIS mission of our forces in Syria.
Full support for the power transfer process in Syria based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254: One of the points that is emphasized in most of the positions of the members of the Biden government is to support the peaceful process of power with the participation of all political groups and based on the resolution 2254 of the United Nations Security Council. This issue was one of the main topics of Joe Biden’s phone conversation with the King of Jordan, which took place on December 9, 2024. Also, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken emphasized his support for this resolution in a statement titled “The Syrian people will decide the future of Syria” on December 10th. Resolution 2254 was emphasized in the final statement of the Group of 7 held on December 12.
Supporting the religious and civil liberties of the ethnic and religious minorities of Syria: According to the officials of the Biden government, maintaining stability in Syria depends on maintaining the security and freedom of the ethnic and religious minorities of this country and their participation in the power transfer process. In this regard, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, emphasized three principles in relation to the US policy in Syria in a meeting held on December 8, 2024 at the Reagan National Defense Forum, the third of which was the emphasis on supporting ethnic and religious minorities.
Maintaining the security of Syria’s neighbors: concern about the spillover of instability in Syria to its neighbors is one of the issues that the Biden administration emphasizes. For example, we can refer to Sullivan’s statement at the Reagan National Defense Association meeting held on December 8.
The actions of the US government
To achieve these goals, the United States of America has taken various measures, which are mentioned below:
Holding a meeting of the Arab contact group in Jordan: One of the first measures taken by the US to manage the new Syria was holding an international meeting with the participation of Bahrain, France, Germany, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the member states of the European Union, as well as the UN special envoy for Syrian affairs in Aqaba, Jordan.
In the final statement of this meeting, these axes were emphasized: the request to increase the presence of the United Nations in Syria; protecting the rights of minorities and women; Destruction of chemical and biological reserves; and the importance of fighting terrorism and extremism, including preventing the re-emergence of all terrorist groups in Syria.
Sending new military forces to Syria: The American military presence in Syria in the past years has not been very comprehensive and prominent, and about 900 soldiers of this country have been stationed in the American base in the south and southeast of Syria, including the Al-Tanf base. But the overthrow of the Assad government and the concern of creating instability in Syria have caused a revision in the number of American troops in Syria, and about one thousand hundred new troops have been sent to Syria.
Efforts to formalize the acceptance of the new Syrian governing body: Before the victory of the Tahrir al-Sham delegation, this group and its leader were among terrorist groups, and the United States had set a reward of 10 million dollars to find Mohammad al-Jolani.
Affected by the recent developments, the Biden government canceled the 10 million rewards for the arrest of al-Jolani, and there are rumors that the Tahrir al-Sham group will be removed from the list of terrorist groups. Also, discussions regarding the step-by-step lifting of sanctions against Syria are underway.
Summary and evaluation
The United States of America did not have much of a presence in Syria until now, and its presence was limited to a number of military soldiers in the south and east of Syria and occasional support for the Syrian Kurds. But according to the officials of this country, the fall of the Assad government has created some basic requirements that have caused the Biden administration to seek communication with the new Syrian government. These requirements, which shape the American policy regarding the new Syria, are:
Concern about Iran’s regional influence: From the point of view of the United States and some of its regional allies, the most important achievement of the new developments in Syria is the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, which was considered an ally of Iran. For this reason, he has been actively present in Syria and directed its developments in a direction that would prevent Iran’s influence in this country.
Maintaining the stability of allies: Syria is a neighbor of some key US allies such as Israel, Jordan and Iraq. The existence of crisis and instability or threat to Israel and other countries means that America will also be involved in it unintentionally. For this reason, America seeks to manage developments in Syria and ensure the maintenance of stability and peace in this country.
Concerns of America’s allies: In this regard, it should be said that there are requests from some of America’s allies, including Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, to play this country’s role in the developments in Syria. From the point of view of these countries, abandoning Syria and gaining power of the extremist movement in this country will be a threat to each of these countries.
Syrian oil smuggling: According to Sputnik, the United States has looted billions of dollars of oil from eastern Syria during the seven years of its occupation of Syria’s al-Hasaka province. Although the Biden government never mentioned the activities of Syrian oil smuggling and only announced that the presence of the United States in Syria It was to prevent the resurgence of ISIS.