Syria benefits from the US’s lack of appetite for sustaining a military presence

Written by Elijah J. Magnier:

The strong indicator of the fate of the US forces occupying parts of Syria is manifested by the positive developments of the Kurdish-Damascus relationship, and the apparent and gradual Syrian return to the Arab league. What is evident is the fact that the US administration has no real intention of leaving Syria, nor of keeping the circle of harsh sanctions tight around the Syrian government.

Undoubtedly, the US’s decision to allow Syria to import and export Egyptian gas -crossing Jordan to reach Syrian territory and ending in Lebanon – was not only in Lebanon’s interest. Itis considered a positive and financially rewarding step towards Syria as well.

Last September, Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad at the UN for the first time in 10 years. Also, at the beginning of this month, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Syria for the first time in ten years. The head of the Federal Authority accompanied him for Identity, Nationality, Customs and Port Security to develop the relationship further with President Bashar al-Assad. The UAE opened its embassy in the Syrian capital two years ago,though without tangible progress in the relationship due to the positions of the previous US administration.

In addition, the Director of the Syrian General Intelligence Department, Major General Hossam Luqa participated in the Arab Intelligence Forum sponsored by Egypt. Major General Luqa met with a large number of directors and heads of Arab intelligence services, despite his presence on the European sanctions list since 2012 and for the US since the last year 2020. The Syrian-Arab meetings are no longer shy but instead have become bold and open because of the acknowledgement of western leaders, that President Assad is staying in power.

Under president Joe Biden, the US administration has never said it has any specific plans related to the future of the presence of the US forces at the Syrian-Iraqi border crossing at al-Tanf and the northeast of Syria. This lack of a project could be simply a political intention to keep a status-quo and avoid a US domestic upheaval, more potent than the one manifested when the US forces pulled out of Afghanistan. The mainstream media spent much more considerable effort during the decade of the Syrian war advocating for regime change in Syria even when terrorist groups like the “Islamic State” and Al-Qaeda were indiscriminately killing all those who disagreed with their plans to occupy the Levant, mainly, but not exclusively, the non-Sunni Syrian. The mainstream media will likely be the first to stand against any US plan to support the recovery of the Syrian economy and leadership under the rule of the central government in Damascus.For these main reasons, the Syrian Kurds offer protection for the US occupation forces hoping that Biden will keep to his status quo. Perhaps other future US presidents would follow suit until the “Kurdish autonomy” is robust and more stable. The Turkish forces and their allies constantly disturb such a vision, eager to grab more Syrian territory currently under Kurdish control. The more Turkey is aggressive towards the Kurds, the more the Kurdish leadership turns towards Moscow and Damascus. The Kurds’ aim consists in keeping