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The Middle East is undergoing a period of unprecedented turmoil, with Israeli aggression reaching new heights. In 2025, Israel expanded its strikes beyond its immediate neighbors, even targeting Qatar under the pretext of targeting Hamas leaders. Despite widespread outrage, no collective mechanism could have restrained Israel yet. Regional states are left to devise their own survival strategies, with Syria among the most pivotal cases.
The toppling of Bashar Assad’s regime on Dec. 8, 2024, ended 13 years of conflict but left Syria exposed to fresh threats. Israel quickly bombed Syrian territories and expanded its footholds in the Golan and southern Syria. Faced with exhaustion at home and vulnerability abroad, the new leadership in Damascus confronts the dual task of rebuilding the state and deterring external aggression. Its chosen path is pragmatic politics – a flexible strategy that prioritizes survival and recovery over ideology.
Economic realism, Gulf reengagement
Domestic stability is impossible without economic revival. The Syrian administration, especially Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, understands that legitimacy will vanish if they fail to deliver tangible improvements. Political slogans cannot substitute for electricity, salaries and food. This reality has driven Damascus to seek assistance even from former rivals. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, once staunchly opposed to the rebellion, are now approached as partners.
Gulf states responded with speed. Saudi Arabia and Qatar jointly paid off Syria’s debts and committed to covering civil service salaries. The UAE pledged an $800 million investment in Tartous Port and sent business delegations to explore further opportunities. These moves alleviated immediate fiscal pressure and anchored Syria in a new regional economic framework. For Gulf monarchies, stabilizing Syria prevents wider regional chaos; for Damascus, it means vital lifelines regardless of past hostilities.
A decisive breakthrough came with the lifting of U.S. and EU sanctions in early 2025. This reopened Syria’s markets to global trade and investment. President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s meeting with Donald Trump in Riyadh sealed the bargain: sanctions relief in exchange for Syrian flexibility, including openness to eventual normalization with Israel and participation in U.S.-brokered regional frameworks. While controversial, this underscored Damascus’ prioritization of stability and reconstruction.
Such recalibration would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Yet, by trading pride for investment, Syria has turned enemies into stakeholders in its recovery. Pragmatism, not ideology, is dictating its economic diplomacy.
Balancing great powers
Syria’s new leadership has also adopted a careful balancing act among global powers, especially between Washington and Moscow. Damascus has courted the U.S. to end its pariah status, while preserving ties with Russia to avoid overdependence on one camp.
On the U.S. side, sanctions relief was followed by active diplomatic engagement. Trump’s envoy, Ambassador Thomas Barrack, was appointed in May 2025 to oversee Syria policy. Under American mediation, Syrian and Israeli officials held indirect talks to prevent escalation in southern Syria. In July 2025, Barrack brokered a cease-fire after clashes in the south drew Israeli intervention. The new government, though Islamist-led, has shown pragmatism by cooperating with U.S. initiatives aimed at stability, from cease-fires to counterterrorism efforts.
Simultaneously, Damascus has avoided antagonizing Moscow. Russia dispatched Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak to Damascus in September 2025, offering to mediate between Israel and regional actors. Syrian officials, while welcoming Moscow’s assistance, have emphasized that the asymmetrical relationship of the Assad era is over. Foreign Ministerial statements clarified that any foreign presence must serve Syria’s reconstruction. This was an assertion of sovereignty couched in diplomatic terms. In this context, the most significant development has been al-Sharaa’s recent visit to Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Thus, Syria has been keeping Russia close as a counterweight to the West, while recalibrating the terms of engagement. Moscow still retains access to strategic bases, but Damascus is reviewing past agreements to align them with national interests. By balancing East and West, Syria maximizes aid, deters unilateral dominance and preserves its independence.
Strategic patience toward Israel
Syria’s third strategic pillar is its regional security policy, centered on strengthening ties with Türkiye and practicing patience with Israel. Militarily confronting Israel is unrealistic; restraint buys time. Damascus has honored the 1974 disengagement agreement on the Golan, depriving Israel of pretexts for escalation. Meanwhile, it is quietly building defense capacity with allies.
Türkiye has emerged as Syria’s most significant partner. Having supported the rebellion, Ankara now reaps influence with the new government. A series of agreements institutionalized military and intelligence cooperation, culminating in an August 2025 defense pact. Türkiye is committed to training Syrian forces and supplying arms and equipment. By embedding advisers and providing technology, Ankara has positioned itself as Syria’s security guarantor.
This cooperation also serves Türkiye’s own goal of counterbalancing Israel. Türkiye has been condemning Israel’s attacks on Palestine, Iran and Qatar and stands against Zionist expansion, warning that Israel is destabilizing Syria. Ankara has since coordinated military moves with Damascus to reduce frictions with Israel. Quiet de-confliction talks with Tel Aviv underscore Ankara’s attempt to avoid uncontrolled escalation while still signaling deterrence.
For Syria, this alliance is a lifeline. It allows gradual rebuilding under Türkiye’s umbrella, indirectly strengthens deterrence and preserves space for diplomacy with the U.S. Strategic patience remains the watchword. Syria has not abandoned its support for Palestine, but it recognizes that confronting Israel prematurely would be reckless. The revolution’s slogan – “the freedom of Damascus is the road to the freedom of Jerusalem” – retains symbolic power, but policy today is anchored in timing, not haste.
Path toward stability
To sum up, a year ago, Syria was isolated, sanctioned and battered. Today, pragmatic politics are opening doors that once seemed shut. Damascus has secured Gulf financial backing, reintegrated into the global economy through Western sanctions relief, preserved ties with Russia without becoming dependent on it, and deepened its alliance with Türkiye to deter external threats.
Challenges remain: healing sectarian divisions, merging militias or transforming them into a modern army, and countering Israeli aggression will test Syria’s capacity. Yet, pragmatism has already delivered what ideology could not – resources, recognition and resilience. In a region dominated by impulsive aggression, Syria’s calculated restraint is an outlier. It may also be its best chance for survival. By pursuing economic revival, diplomatic normalization and defensive partnerships, Syria is charting a path toward stability. If sustained, this strategy could allow Damascus not only to stand firm but eventually to contribute to the wider regional aspiration of a free and peaceful Jerusalem.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance, values or position of Daily Sabah. The newspaper provides space for diverse perspectives as part of its commitment to open and informed public discussion.
