US EditionIt’s Not That Easy to Lift Sanctions on Syria
- U.S. President Donald Trump announced in May 2025 the easing of U.S. sanctions on Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024.
- This move followed years of extensive sanctions that severely hindered Syria's recovery from a 14-year conflict, but full lifting requires further legal and political steps by U.S. agencies and Congress.
- Since the announcement, exemptions have enabled transactions and foreign investments, including an $800 million UAE commitment to develop Tartous port, amid efforts to strengthen security and governance in Syria.
- Despite this progress, Syria faces a 90 percent poverty rate, systemic corruption, insecurity, and institutional weakness, with experts emphasizing that sanctions relief alone cannot ensure recovery.
- The sanctions relief marks a critical turning point, but success depends on inclusive political reforms, improved security, and institutional rebuilding to foster sustainable economic growth and stability.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Rebuilding Syria: Why sanctions relief will take time
The United States and European Union have taken major steps to revoke their Syria sanctions regimes, with Washington declaring sweeping waivers on 23 May and Europe largely following suit on 28 May. While these efforts are rapidly advancing, the complexity of the pre-existing sanction regimes, conditionality, and remaining ambiguities all highlight that this process will take time, as Syria remains one of the most sanctioned countries nearly six…
Can sanctions relief deliver quick wins for Syria’s economy?
LONDON: Like a relic from another era, its promise long faded, the Syrian pound still lingers in the wallets of shopkeepers and shoppers in Damascus. Yet, green shoots of hope are sprouting across the war-weary nation. That rekindled sense of optimism owes much to US President Donald Trump’s pledge to ease sanctions and signs of regional support for Syria’s economic recovery.
What is Trump's game in Syria?
Why has the US president decided to lift all sanctions on Damascus, and how will it shape the future of the region? US President Donald Trump's recent announcement that he intends to lift all sanctions on Syria stands as one of the most unexpected and controversial foreign policy moves Washington has made in the past decade. Declared during Trump's Middle East tour at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh, the decision marks a dramatic shift i…
Lifting Sanctions Opens the Door for Investment in Syria – But Security Chaos Threatens to Slam It Shut - The Syrian Observer
After years of economic isolation and Western sanctions, both the United States and the European Union have simultaneously announced the lifting of economic sanctions on Syria. The move, described as “historic,” responds to Syria’s ongoing political transformation following the fall of the former regime. While many Syrians have welcomed the decision as a long-awaited opening for economic recovery and a real beginning for reconstruction after mor…
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