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The fall of the former government in Syria was one of the most promising developments of the last year.
With the horrifically abusive government of Bashar al-Assad swept from power in December, an opportunity opened up for a new direction. It offered a possibility to see justice for past crimes, a hope that human rights would be respected, and a chance to rebuild the country.
However, some governments are acting almost like it never happened. They have kept their Assad-era sanctions in place, although that government no longer exists. And they’re not even providing any clear roadmap to Syria’s interim government on steps they can take to get them lifted.
As the war in Syria raged for more than 13 years, and as the Assad government’s appalling abuses, war crimes, and crimes against humanity mounted, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and other countries imposed sweeping sanctions on the Syrian government.
These included measures that made good sense, like targeted asset freezes and travel bans on key government officials. There were also some steps that impacted the economic situation for the Syrian population more broadly, like restrictions on trade, financial transactions, and key industries.
Now, Assad is gone, but most of these sanctions remain in place, including ones impacting the public.
Let’s be clear: This is not just an embarrassing failure of these governments to catch up with reality on the ground. These sanctions are now hindering Syria’s progress and hurting millions of people.
Conflict and displacement have left much of Syria’s infrastructure in ruins. Entire towns are uninhabitable. Schools, hospitals, roads, water facilities, and electrical grids are damaged or destroyed. Public services barely function. The economy has been in freefall for years.
Over 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line. At least 13 million people – more than half the population – are unable to access or afford enough quality food. At least 16.5 million Syrians require some form of humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs.
Ongoing sanctions are deepening Syrians’ suffering by making the restoration of essential services much more difficult and hindering reconstruction efforts.
Governments should lift all sanctions that negatively impact the socio-economic rights of Syrians. For other sanctions they should communicate clearly to the interim authorities what steps they can take to have them lifted.
Other states should restore Syria’s access to global financial systems and end trade restrictions on essential goods. They should also address energy sanctions to ensure people can access fuel and electricity.
Since the fall of the Assad government, some governments have made some limited adjustments to their sanctions policies. But it’s nowhere near enough.
The damage done by thirteen years of war and decades of authoritarian rule and violence is enormous. Now, there’s an opportunity for change.
In rebuilding their country, the people of Syria should be able to expect more from the world than obstacles.
