Description: The meeting between the US President Donald Trump and the de facto ruler of Syria Ahmed al Sharaa was publicly hailed as massive foreign policy progress and shift towards stabilizing the region. Trump and Al Sharaa met in Riyadh in a meeting mostly facilitated and lobbied by Saudi Arabia and Turkey after which Trump announced the complete lift of sanctions on Syria which could aid the devastated economy of the Middle Eastern country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman praised the meet between the leaders as a major breakthrough in the Middle East’s complicated and ever-changing power dynamics. The US President characterized the meeting as productive and praised Al Sharaa as a strong leader who could potentially bring about his country to some level of stability and progress.
Impact: Trump’s direct meeting with Al Sharaa signals the US intentions to remain geopolitically active in the region by exercising influence through their allied states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. The meeting also legitimizes the rule of Al Sharaa in Syria which is substantially stained from the ethnic massacres his HTS – led government forces led in Mar. By meeting Al Sharaa Trump also sent a clear signal towards Israel as the latter is risking becoming isolated from its closest ally due to continuing to campaign its war against Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank instead of focusing towards a ceasefire solution. The geostrategic attractiveness of Syria has considerably arisen since the fall of Bashar al Assad with Turkey leading the charge towards establishing an influential foothold in the country supported by Saudi Arabia. Both countries despite aiming to gain significant points with their biggest ally, the US, are also disabling Iran from pressing its affiliates towards establishing a foothold in Syria. The lifting of sanctions wouldn’t attract investors immediately but in the short to mid – term, private business conglomerates would most probably enter the country as Syria’s economic progress largely depends on its vast oil reserves and deposits.