Out of the war into a tussle

After years of fighting, Syria is finally getting a firmer grip on the country

After years of fighting, which saw some of the worst atrocities trigger one of the largest migrations of people in the past century, Syria is finally getting a firmer grip on the country. Bashar al Assad appears to be standing strong as the dust settles over his embattled country. But new tussles await around the corner.

After seven years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has unfurled its flag atop its embassy in Damascus as it seeks to restore diplomatic ties. An Emirati statement stressed that the UAE was “keen to put relations back on their normal track”. The UAE had broken ties with Damascus just months after the Arab League expelled Syria from the group as the death toll escalated and several regional powers bet on Assad’s demise.

Russia helped Assad fight fires across the country and restore control over vast swathes of territory. With the US pulling out, Syria is trying to break out from its regional isolation. This week Jordan reopened a border crossing and allowed trade to flow while a commercial flight flew to Tunisia.

The reopening of the UAE embassy is seen as a precursor to allowing Syria and Assad to resume its seat at the 22-member Arab League table when it meets in March. The move is seen more as an attempt by the UAE and the larger Arab world – led by Saudi Arabia – to woo Assad to join their camp over Iran. It harkens back to one of the oldest power struggles in the Middle East.

It will now be interesting to see which way Assad leans: would he court the very countries he had accused of fomenting trouble or would he opt to side with the country who helped prop up his regime through the darkest of the times? The real conflict is about to start.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2018.

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