Why Is the U.S. Taking a Cautious Approach to President Ahmed al-Sharaa?

The U.S. approach to Syria's transitional government has been notably slow and detached, in stark contrast to the more open and engaged stance taken by European nations following the dramatic shift after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian regime.

On December 8, 2024, Syrian opposition factions unexpectedly united in a single operations room, toppling Assad's regime, and forcing the dictator to flee to Russia.

‘Watching Their Actions’

Since the fall of Assad occurred during former President Joe Biden's administration, he stated that Syrians now have the opportunity to rebuild their country. However, Biden emphasized, “We will remain vigilant. Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.”

“We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days. And we’re — they’re saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.”

But new President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. should not intervene in the sudden takeover or its aftermath. He explained that the U.S. would make a decision regarding Syria without elaborating further on the matter.

“We're not involved in Syria. Syria is in its own mess. They've got enough messes over there. They don't need us involved,” he added on January 25.

It seems that Washington is still observing the shift in the Middle East following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

On February 13, 2025, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attended a conference in Paris on political transition and the significant security and economic challenges facing Syria.

At the Paris conference, which saw Arab countries, Turkiye, the G7, and several European nations participate at a ministerial level, the U.S. attended only as an observer. This marked the third conference on Syria since Assad's ouster and the first since Donald Trump's administration took office.

This representation signaled a clear message that the U.S. role in Syria remains unclear.

Since 2014, when ISIS seized parts of Syria, the U.S. deployed forces in 2015 to fight “the group,” establishing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), composed of Arabs, Kurds, and Assyrians.

By March 2019, the U.S. declared ISIS defeated in Syria, but kept forces on the ground, including a military base in al-Tanf, southern Syria. The U.S. currently has around 2,000 troops in Syria, according to the U.S. Department of Defense on December 23, 2024.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on his visit to “Israel” on February 16, 2025, said the fall of Assad's regime is a significant development, but if replaced by another destabilizing force, that must not happen.

In a cautious U.S. approach to Syria, Washington continues to maintain heavy financial sanctions on the country, first imposed in 2011 to pressure the ousted Assad regime and prevent human rights violations.

In a modest step, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on January 7, 2025, a six-month easing of sanctions to facilitate the continuation of essential services in Syria.

Syrian Commerce Minister Maher Khalil al-Hasan stated that Damascus is unable to secure deals for importing fuel, wheat, and other essential goods due to strict U.S. sanctions, even though many countries, including Gulf nations, are eager to supply these necessities to Syria.

Allies in Focus

Many observers stress that to prevent external disruptors from hindering Syria’s democratic progress, priority should be given to immediate economic relief by lifting the U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, which were mainly aimed at the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime.

The Trump administration could facilitate foreign investments in Syria by reconsidering the burdensome sanctions on the country.

In general, there is no coldness in U.S. relations with Syria's new leadership. On December 20, 2024, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf visited Damascus and met with al-Sharaa.

Sources told Al-Jazeera on January 8, 2025, that a U.S. delegation, including representatives from the Trump administration, visited Damascus and met with the leader of Syria's new government.

In this context, Wael Alwan, a researcher from the Jusoor for Studies Center, told Al-Estiklal that “there is no clear U.S. stance on Syria after Assad’s fall.”

“U.S. foreign policy does not see Syria as a priority but as part of the broader region.”

“For this reason, the U.S. prefers to leave Syria to its allies, such as the Gulf countries and Turkiye, allowing them the space to apply pressure and influence the situation,” he added.

“Washington sees this strategy as better than having a special policy towards Syria.”

Patience and Pragmatism

Michael Singh, currently a Senate-confirmed member of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace, believes the U.S. should engage with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) with patience and pragmatism, based on shared interests.

Singh explained during a Senate hearing on February 13, 2025, that this approach mirrors the one adopted by the Trump administration in its first term when special envoy Ambassador Jim Jeffrey held indirect talks with Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“In our dealings with Sharaa and his government, the United States should look for areas of common interest where HTS’s intentions can be tested and trust can be built.”

“These include sharing intelligence on border security, drug trafficking, terrorism, and the Iranian threat network, against which the new Syrian authorities have already reportedly been acting,” he said.

“When it comes to issues of Syrian governance, Washington should be patient and take our lead from Syrians themselves.”

“While a Syria that is governed in an authoritarian or sectarian manner is unlikely to be stable, prosperous, or friendly to the West, the United States should avoid seeking to impose our views regarding precisely what form of government Syria must have or how it should arrive at it,” Singh added.

Singh suggested that Washington adopt a gradual approach, linking the easing of sanctions to the performance of the current Syrian government.

He cautioned that imposing too many conditions for easing sanctions—especially those not directly related to U.S. national security interests—could alienate the new Syrian government and push it towards America’s rivals.

“al-Sharaa has expressed a certain pragmatism in approaching Moscow [..] If Syria cannot obtain what it needs in the defense, energy, industrial, and other sectors from the West—or cannot do so at a competitive price—it may turn to Russia despite Moscow’s past support for Assad.”

Singh called for Washington to work closely “with U.S. partners in Europe—particularly France—and elsewhere to ensure a common Western approach to the Syrian transition.”

Review Process

In this context, President Trump's controversial decision to freeze foreign aid has raised concerns in Syria, a country that has relied on hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid, especially as it now needs support to rebuild.

The freeze on U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding has led to the closure of clinics serving many displaced camps, and nonprofit organizations have been forced to lay off local staff.

It seems the new U.S. administration is still in the process of reviewing its position on Syria, despite Assad’s fall opening the door to potential improvements in relations between Washington and Damascus.

In response to a question about whether the U.S. should recognize Ahmed al-Sharaa as Syria's president, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson answered in an interview with Alhurra on February 15, 2025, “I believe so. I think it’s time to encourage in every way and lift the sanctions.”

Wilson, who chairs the Subcommittee on Middle Eastern Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives, also commented on his satisfaction with the actions taken by Syria’s new government. He said he is very pleased to see a number of conferences around the world, one of which took place in Paris, where several countries met to work with the new government in Damascus.

He added that credit should be given to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye for working together—not to take over Syria or turn it into a satellite state, but to support its path to becoming a free and independent country.