Syrians Hope Sharaa’s US Visit Marks New Era for the Country

On the streets of Damascus on Tuesday, many Syrians viewed their leader’s visit to Washington as a sign of a shift towards the West, one that could potentially pave the way for the revitalisation of the country’s war-torn economy.

On Monday, Donald Trump welcomed Ahmed al-Sharaa in a historic visit, marking the first time a Syrian head of state has visited Washington since Syria gained independence in 1946. This meeting was seen as a significant achievement for the former jihadist, who had once been a target of a $10 million bounty from Washington for his capture.

“God willing, this visit will be a new beginning for Syria and an opening to the world after years of isolation,” said law student Boushra Abdel Bari.

“We hope that this visit… will facilitate the reconstruction of Syria with the United States and the rest of the world,” she added.

As Sharaa made his historic visit to Washington, the US State Department also announced a temporary pause in sanctions under the Caesar Act, with a possibility of their permanent removal pending Congressional approval.

The Caesar Act had imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Syria in an effort to hold the Assad regime accountable for human rights abuses, effectively banning the country from the global banking system and deterring international investment.

Historically, Syria has been within the sphere of influence of first the Soviet Union and later Russia, which has been President Bashar al-Assad’s main ally throughout the more than 13 years of civil war. However, since Assad’s fall in December 2024, the interim Syrian president has sought to engage with the West and wealthy Gulf monarchies, while carefully maintaining relations with Moscow.

For Abdel Bari, Assad’s ally Russia “has brought us nothing but ruin and destruction.”

Omar Nassar, a 36-year-old printer, also welcomed Syria’s shift towards the Western camp.

“Syria paid the price for aligning itself with the socialist camp in the past… and was isolated from its Arab and international environment,” he said.

“We are very optimistic after this visit. We expect positive repercussions in the economic and diplomatic spheres.”

‘New Middle East’

Saddam Hajjar, who runs a coffee kiosk in the Syrian capital, shared a similar sentiment, believing that “things are getting better”.

“We hope to be part of the new Middle East in the future,” he said. “The Syrian people deserve a better life after making so many sacrifices.”

The end of Assad’s regime marked the conclusion of a brutal civil war that lasted over 13 years, sparked by the government’s violent crackdown on peaceful protests in 2011. The war resulted in more than half a million deaths, forced millions of Syrians into exile, and left the country’s economy in tatters.

Layal Kaddour, a 25-year-old worker for an NGO, saw the Washington visit as “a bold political move” that broke years of international isolation.

“The possible repercussions are an easing of sanctions and the opening up of economic opportunities,” she said.

However, she expressed concerns about the potential pressures that might now be placed on Syria. “I wonder if we will now be subject to international pressure that could influence independent political decision-making,” Kaddour added, referring to the possibility of US pressure on Syria to make peace with Israel, a long-time adversary of the Syrian state.