Current Affairs

How Assad’s fall shows the political dissonance between Biden and Trump


Within hours of Syrian rebels entering Damascus on Sunday, President Joe Biden appeared on national television outlining military preemptions and pledging continued U.S. engagement in Syria. He said that the fall of the Assad regime is “a moment of danger and uncertainty,” pledging that the United States “will work with our partners in Syria” and “remain vigilant.”

In fact, this moment represents, in the eyes of many regional observers, a number of opportunities that were unimaginable even one week ago, including containing the Iranian nuclear program. But diplomats say the United States will only be able to exploit these opportunities through practical engagement.

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The fall of authoritarian Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has created challenges and opportunities for the United States. But the dissonance between current and future US administrations is confusing the main players in the Middle East.

This view contrasts sharply with the approach cheered by President-elect Donald Trump. “The United States should not do anything about this,” he wrote on social media, referring to Syria.

The United States has already carried out dozens of strikes against weapons sites in Syria, yet US allies and adversaries alike may wonder whether Mr. Biden’s latest move will be followed by a domestic shift by the Trump White House.

“We’re in this strange situation where it’s not entirely clear what US policy is at a time of tremendous volatility and opportunity,” says John Hanna, who has served in Democratic and Republican administrations.

Within hours of Syrian rebels entering Damascus on Sunday and forcing authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad into exile, President Joe Biden was on national television outlining military preemptions and pledging continued U.S. engagement as Syrians chart a new path forward.

Biden said that the fall of the Assad regime “represents a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering Syrian people.” He added that it was “also a moment of danger and uncertainty,” and pledged that the United States would “work with our partners in Syria” and “remain vigilant.”

The president said that nearly 900 American soldiers in eastern Syria, charged with preventing the return of ISIS, will remain on the ground, stressing that the power vacuum has not opened the door to new forms of Islamic extremism.

Why did we write this?

Story focused on

The fall of authoritarian Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has created challenges and opportunities for the United States. But the dissonance between current and future US administrations is confusing the main players in the Middle East.

Then on Tuesday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby announced that President Biden would send National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to the region to address the ceasefires in Syria and Gaza and hostage issues. Also this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Türkiye, which supports a rebel faction that has clashed in northeastern Syria with U.S.-backed Kurds, and Jordan.

The flurry of activity – and the commitment to remain intensely engaged in the turbulent Middle East – contrasts sharply with the message sent so far by President-elect Donald Trump in response to the Syria crisis.

As rebel forces swept south toward Damascus last week, Mr. Trump jumped on social media to announce a non-interference approach that could become the guiding principle of his Middle East policy and his broader foreign policy vision.

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