Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Michael Galant & Eleonora Piergallini
“On June 30, President Trump signed an executive order terminating the majority of U.S. sanctions on Syria. The move, which would have been unthinkable mere months ago, fulfilled a promise he made at an investment forum in Riyadh in May. ‘The sanctions were brutal and crippling,’ he had declared to an audience of primarily Saudi businessmen. Lifting them, he said, will ‘give Syria a chance at greatness.’ The significance of this statement lies not solely in the relief that it will bring to the Syrian people. His remarks revealed an implicit but rarely admitted truth: sanctions — often presented as a peaceful alternative to war — have been harming the Syrian people all along.” (07/11/25)