Since August 20th of the previous year, the city of Sweida has been the backdrop for ongoing protests, a response to the worsening economic conditions. This unrest was triggered when authorities, midway through that month, made a decision to double the wages and pensions of public sector employees while simultaneously reducing gas subsidies. Concurrently, the Syrian economy has been grappling with a protracted decline stemming from years of war and a barrage of international sanctions. This mounting frustration with the deteriorating Syrian economy swiftly transformed into demands for the removal of the Syrian regime.

Although the current US administration, led by President Joe Biden, no longer explicitly champions regime change, it is noteworthy that Biden, during his tenure as vice president under former President Barack Obama, had previously asserted that “Assad must go.” The US administration has indirectly thrown its support behind the protests against the regime, as evidenced by the tweets emanating from the US embassy on September 14th of this year.

In Washington’s perspective, backing these protests aligns with four key objectives of US foreign policy towards Syria. These include preventing the resurgence of ISIS and mitigating its threat to American interests, supporting local ceasefires, maintaining humanitarian aid for Syrians who have endured the civil war since 2011, and, finally, holding the Syrian regime accountable for its inhumane violations while exerting pressure through sanctions.

Key Points

Amid the ongoing popular protests in Syria, the United States has expressed deep concern regarding the situation in Sweida and Deir ez-Zor. Washington has called upon all parties involved to exercise restraint and pursue a peaceful resolution to prevent further loss of human lives. Here are the primary elements of the current American stance on the Syrian protests:

1. Continued Republican Engagement with Protest Leaders: Multiple reports have indicated that American officials have established communication with the spiritual leadership of the Druze community in Sweida. Republican Representative French Hill has engaged with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, one of the spiritual leaders endorsing the protests, to inquire about the city’s situation and its security conditions. This interaction gained significance, especially after the shooting of protesters outside the Ba’ath Party branch in Sweida. Hill mentioned that he discussed the “frustration of local residents and their peaceful protests” with al-Hajri, who accused the Assad government and its Iranian allies of involvement in illegal drug trafficking (specifically, Captagon) in the region to finance the Syrian regime.

This contact follows a visit by Hill, accompanied by two other members of Congress, Ben Cline and Scott Fitzgerald, to a region in northern Syria controlled by the opposition. This visit represents the first known visit by American legislators to Syria in six years. Hill stands as one of the prominent members of the US Congress opposing normalization with the Assad regime and sponsoring legislation requiring President Joe Biden’s administration to formulate a strategy with other US agencies aimed at obstructing the Syrian regime’s Captagon trade.

2. Support for the Syrian People’s Right to Protest: On September 14th of this year, the US Embassy in Syria posted tweets expressing America’s support for the Syrian people’s right to protest. It expressed concern over reports of the Syrian regime’s use of force in Sweida. In previous tweets, it criticized the decisions of the Syrian President that exacerbated the economic crises faced by Syrians, channeling millions of dollars each month into fueling the war machine against the Syrian people.

Republican Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina, a prominent figure on the Syrian issue and a leading American legislator supporting a bill to prevent normalization with the Assad regime, tweeted his support for the protests against the Assad regime on August 25th of the previous year. He conveyed that “Syria has no future and will never stabilize under the Assad regime.”

3. Support for Opposition Efforts to Achieve a Political Solution: On September 4th of this year, the US Embassy in Syria mentioned that Ethan Goldrich, a senior American official responsible for the Syrian file at the US Department of State, discussed the ongoing protests in Deir ez-Zor and Sweida during a meeting with Syrian opposition activists in Turkey. He reiterated the United States’ backing for the Syrian opposition in their pursuit of a just and comprehensive political solution in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254. This resolution, adopted by the Council on December 18, 2015, is considered the sole solution to the Syrian crisis.

The US administration has previously affirmed its unwavering commitment to implementing this resolution. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, highlighted the peaceful demands of the Syrians for political change in line with Security Council Resolution 2254 during a briefing to the UN Security Council on August 23rd, addressing the political situation in Syria.

4. Pressure from Syrian Americans on the Administration: During President Joe Biden’s fundraising campaign on June 27th of the previous year, three Syrian-American activists seized the opportunity to meet with him. They used this occasion to urge him to increase efforts to pressure the Syrian regime and safeguard Syrian civilians from ongoing attacks by Syrian and Russian forces. They emphasized that the President not only needs to be concerned about the plight of Syrians but also needs to take concrete actions to address it. However, they noted a misalignment between the President’s statements on Syria and his administration’s current policies.

The pressure exerted by Syrian-American activists on the Biden administration to revise its Syria policy reflects internal concerns within the United States regarding Biden’s approach to the Syrian issue. Many believe that it lacks the initiative and readiness required to engage deeply in the diplomatic efforts needed to negotiate a fair resolution to the Syrian crisis. Consequently, it is anticipated that the ongoing protests against the Assad regime in Sweida and various Syrian cities will further incentivize both Republican and Democratic legislators to press the Biden administration for policy adjustments concerning Syria.

Limits of Intervention

Despite the tweets posted by the US Embassy in Syria and the support voiced by some American legislators for protests in Syrian cities following the decisions made in mid-August that exacerbated the economic hardships faced by Syrians, top officials within the US administration have refrained from issuing public statements explicitly endorsing the demonstrations. This is done to prevent the Assad regime from exploiting such support to propagate the narrative that the protests are externally fueled and to rationalize the use of excessive force against protesters. There is genuine American concern that openly endorsing the popular protests in Syrian cities may have unintended consequences on the current momentum in the Syrian streets, particularly since the protesters are voicing slogans opposing foreign intervention, including any American involvement.