Amid a recent flurry of Middle East diplomacy, the Trump administration’s Syria policy is beginning to take shape. In mid-April, the U.S. wisely began reducing its troop presence in the country. In his visit to the region, President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that the U.S. would lift onerous Assad-era sanctions on the war-torn nation “to give them a chance at greatness.” A day later, Trump met with Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa — the first meeting in 25 years between Syrian and U.S. presidents — and said he was considering normalizing U.S. relations with Syria.
These moves should be followed by a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops. Combined, these policies could significantly advance U.S. interests in the Middle East.
A total U.S. withdrawal would get troops out of harm’s way and help disentangle Washington from a region of declining strategic importance. Meanwhile, the sanctions cessation can help set Syria, long a regional vector for instability and terrorism, on a path to stability and regional integration, which gives Washington even more significant strategic rationale for pulling back from the Middle East.
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