Foreign Affairs: “The Upsides of Syrian Normalization”

Another new article from me, this time a piece for Foreign Affairs on why Arab normalization with Assad's Syria is basically fine – potentially even good: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/syria/upsides-syrian-normalization-assad

In May, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad made his triumphant return to the Arab League, after a decade-long absence. People were, understandably, distressed at his rehabilitation.

Really, though, I think that angst is misplaced. This was bound to happen, sooner or later. And in practical terms, the actual downsides of Arab normalization with Damascus are limited. (Many of the risks that opponents of normalization have warned about relate more to Syrian-Turkish normalization, which is something more genuinely dangerous.) And the potential upsides of Arab normalization are substantial, both for the countries presently engaging Damascus and for ordinary Syrians. Now these Arab countries have committed with Damascus, at least on paper, to a set of joint political, security and humanitarian steps that could improve living conditions for Syrians stuck in a destroyed country.

For Washington and its Western allies, it doesn't make sense to try to stop this, or even reverse it. Normalization is inevitable. Better, instead, to work with their Arab partners now dealing with Damascus to make sure ordinary Syrians get something out of all this.