US-Designated Terror Sponsor, Then Ally: Syria Returns to the Fold?
Syria's Foreign Minister is leading a security delegation for talks in Turkey, according to The New Arab. This comes a mere whisper after violent clashes in Syria's northeast. What a convenient moment for reconciliation between two nations whose relationship has been… complicated. Let’s not forget, just a few years ago, the Assad regime was the bogeyman, the target of Western-backed insurgencies,
and 'responsible for horrific human rights abuses' – a line we still hear, depending on the geopolitical winds. The US spent years, and billions, undermining Assad, funneling support to groups, some of which quickly turned 'extremist.' Remember when the US Department of Treasury designated Syria’s Central Bank under Executive Order 13382 for 'financing proliferation' in 2011? Or the Caesar Act in
2020 which further sanctioned the regime? Now, Turkey, a NATO member, engages in 'security talks' with a government whose alleged crimes warranted an international crusade. One might wonder if the 'human rights' alarm bells only ring when US interests demand a regime change, not when stability, or perhaps energy pipelines, are back on the agenda. It seems 'terrorist' is just a placeholder until a
more useful label comes along.