The Reality of American Sanctions on Syria
Since 2004, the United States has imposed a series of economic and financial sanctions on Syria, mostly through presidential executive orders. These sanctions began with an executive order issued by President George W. Bush (EO 13338) and continued to escalate during President Barack Obama’s administration through orders such as EO 13572 and EO 13582, which tightened restrictions to include a ban on financial transactions and the freezing of government and personal assets. The executive orders also targeted digital surveillance technologies (EO 13606) and penalized entities attempting to circumvent the sanctions (EO 13608).
As the Syrian conflict evolved, the U.S. Congress added a legislative aspect to some of the sanctions, as seen with the Caesar Act, which expanded sanctions to include any entity or country dealing with the Syrian regime, making it difficult for Syria to restore its economic relations normally.
Comparison with Other International Experiences
Experiences from countries like Iran, Cuba, Libya, and Iraq offer important lessons:
Iran: Despite harsh sanctions, it succeeded in negotiating through the 2015 nuclear agreement, benefiting from a united negotiating stance and some relative reforms.
Libya: Sanctions imposed following the Lockerbie case ended when Libya agreed to a political settlement and compensation, with a relative internal openness.
Cuba: Despite sanctions lasting for decades, there was a brief thaw during the Obama administration due to improved political discourse and some reforms.
Iraq: Sanctions were only lifted after a complete regime change in 2003, which is the most extreme scenario.
These experiences confirm that international pressure alone is not sufficient; lifting sanctions is typically linked to political steps and genuine reforms.
Strategies and Solutions for Overcoming Sanctions
To end the sanctions and achieve economic relief, the Syrian government must adopt a comprehensive multi-track plan that includes:
✅ First: Radical Political Reforms
Launching a genuine political process: Involving meaningful participation from all opposition factions and civil society, not just formal arrangements.
Constitutional reform: Ensuring the separation of powers, power rotation, and judicial independence.
Elections under international supervision: To build trust both internally and externally.
✅ Second: Commitment to Human Rights
Releasing political prisoners.
Improving human rights conditions and halting security agency violations.
Allowing freedom of the press and information exchange.
✅ Third: A More Balanced Foreign Policy
Ceasing support for armed groups in the region.
Being open to regional and international solutions with transparency and flexibility.
✅ Fourth: Economic Transparency
Effectively combating corruption.
Empowering the private sector to rebuild the economy away from the dominance of military and security institutions.
The Role of the International Community
On the other hand, the international community, especially the United States and the European Union, should respond to any serious Syrian steps with gradual incentivizing measures, such as:
Partial suspension of executive sanctions.
Supporting humanitarian and economic projects.
Facilitating Syria’s entry into regional and international initiatives.
In summary, ending American sanctions on Syria requires a fundamental change in the behavior of the Syrian political system, not just an improvement in rhetoric or superficial policies. International experiences prove that democratic openness and genuine reforms are the fastest way to restore regional and international roles, and achieve economic stability that reflects on the daily lives of Syrians. The road is difficult, but not impossible if genuine political will is present.