Assad’s normalization and the politics of erasure in Syria thumbnail
Assad’s normalization and the politics of erasure in Syria
www.brookings.edu
Beginning with overtures from Jordan’s King Abdullah II last July, the normalization of Assad and his regime has quickly gathered steam throughout the region. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have reopened their embassies in Damascus. Senior officials in several Arab states are pressing to reins
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Beginning with overtures from Jordan’s King Abdullah II last July, the normalization of Assad and his regime has quickly gathered steam throughout the region. Arab regimes have advanced any number of justifications for Assad’s normalization, but this approach is little short of delusional. Normalization will have corrosive effects on sanctions, and Jordan and the United Arab Emirates are already in discussions with Damascus about how to revitalize trade and investment. Russia is also working to ensure the erasure of the Assad regime's responsibility for the destruction of Syria. Normalization will ultimately lead to the erasure of the regime's responsibility for the destruction of Syria and all that has accompanied it.

Top Highlights

  • Beginning with overtures from Jordan’s King Abdullah II last July, the normalization of Assad and his regime has quickly gathered steam throughout the region. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have reopened their embassies in Damascus. Senior officials in several Arab states are pressing to reinstate Syria’s membership in the Arab League, includ...
  • This trend is only likely to accelerate in the coming year.
  • Described as a shift from punitive isolation to “step-for-step” diplomacy, Arab regimes have advanced any number of justifications for Assad’s normalization.
  • If “step-for-step” diplomacy becomes accepted as a framework for normalizing the Assad regime, the eventual outcome will be the erasure of its responsibility for the destruction of Syria and all that has accompanied it. Russia, alongside the regime, is hard at work to ensure precisely this outcome.
  • As a rationale for concessions to Damascus, however, this approach, which rehabilitates Assad diplomatically, is little short of delusional.

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