Trump's Announcement of Lifting Sanctions on Syria: A Local Perspective

A former Alawite member of Mihrac Ural's 'Syrian Resistance'

Since the fall of the Assad regime, one of the most common popular demands inside Syria, particularly among those willing to accept the transitional government, has been the call for the lifting of Western sanctions on Syria. The sanctions, imposed on the Assad regime, certainly did impact livelihoods in regime-held areas, and until now, without the lifting of those sanctions, their impacts have been tangible in areas formerly controlled by the Assad regime, even for visitors from the outside: for example, it is not possible to process online transactions with bank cards and platforms like PayPal if you are using a Syrian network. Nor can you use bank cards from abroad to withdraw money from ATMs inside Syria.

With Trump’s announcement of his intention to order an end to U.S. sanctions on Syria, clearly on the urging of Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), there has understandably been much joy within Syria, with widespread hope that the country will finally begin to see much needed cash inflow and economic recovery. The celebrations have been accompanied by expressions of support for both Trump and MBS.

The following post, written by an Alawite from Masyaf who was previously a member of the ‘Syrian Resistance’ (a notorious pro-Assad auxiliary formation led by Mihrac Ural, an Alawite of Turkish origin wanted by the new Syrian government), is an example of the popular local reactions to the announcement of a lifting of U.S. sanctions. It should be noted that this former member of the ‘Syrian Resistance’ now disavows Mihrac as a criminal and has no contact with him. Further, prior to the fall of the Assad regime, he had been critical of the regime’s inability to improve living standards and services. Thus, his positions should not merely be dismissed as opportunistic shifting.