A few further thoughts on Trump's Syria announcement. First, beyond the obvious benefit for Syrians, it might have a broader impact: it demonstrates, for the first time I can remember, that American sanctions aren't a one-way ratchet. They can be lifted if conditions change. 🧵
May 14, 2025 05:02That's an important shift. Too many politicians in Washington find it easy to impose sanctions but lack the courage to remove them. It's a useful signal to adversaries: if I were Iran, trying to negotiate my own sanctions relief, I'd probably see it as an encouraging sign.
Second, as I said yesterday, we need to see the details. Syria is buried under a thicket of sanctions that were imposed over decades. Some are based on executive orders, which are easy for Trump to unwind; others are statutory and thus harder to remove.
Removing them entirely, as Trump promised to do, will take some sustained attention (not this administration's strong suit). Let's hope they stay engaged on this—and on the broader goal of stabilizing post-Assad Syria. Lifting sanctions is a beginning, not an end.
Third, this is also an encouraging signal to regional allies. Several of them have spent months lobbying America for a shift on sanctions. And in the end, the president actually listened—even though some of his advisers had urged him to maintain a tough line on Syria.
Oh, and finally: any policy decision that makes Sebastian Gorka unhappy is one to be celebrated
Obama lifting the Cuba sanctions?... only to be scrapped?
