In Syria, hope continues to bloom

In the Middle East, drones, missiles, and airstrikes continue to streak across the Gulf and, with more intensity, between Israel and Lebanon.

Surrounded by these adjacent conflicts, Syria, however, as the Monitor’s Taylor Luck reports this week , is “an island of calm in the stormy Middle East.” And of buoyant hope.

That is a credit to Syrians’ resilience and faith in progress, as they confront economic and political challenges and emerge from the aftermath of years of repression and civil war. Some credit is also due their former insurgent turned president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has sought to shore up stability and restore basic services, through civic conciliation and political pragmatism.

For the international community, Syria’s current situation validates the hope and confidence placed in the government that ousted a brutal dictatorship in December 2024. Gulf Arab states have made offers of aid and investment, and the United States and Europe have reopened embassies and lifted economic sanctions.

“Al-Sharaa has gone through a massive personal transformation that may presage the political transformation envisaged for Syria,” according to regional analyst Asaad Sam Hanna. Alongside shedding his camouflage fatigues for civilian attire, Mr. al-Sharaa has “adopted a conciliatory approach to various communities within Syria, and sent a clear message to the international community that Syria would be governed by a president rather than [by] the military or religious councils,” Mr. Hanna wrote in an Atlantic Council report in March.

But there is still much to do, to unite a nation characterized by ethnic, religious, and regional differences. In January, the government restored full citizenship rights and language recognition to its sizable Kurdish minority. And it is integrating militia fighters into the national security forces. The country has also made gains in freedom of expression, to the extent that some citizens are reportedly no longer as fearful to hold public protests to voice their demands.

On the economic front, a United Nations-supported Private Sector Dialogue was held in Syria this month. And the squeeze on oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz is offering an unexpected opportunity: Since March, both Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have begun using Syria’s roadways to truck their oil to its Mediterranean ports. The country now earns much-needed income from the hundreds of trucks that pass through it daily.

But, in addition to economic growth, Syrians also hunger for a full restoration of individual freedoms and democratic governance.

Initial steps toward transitional justice are being taken. The challenge will be to uphold accountability, without sparking retribution or revenge. The next major steps are for Mr. al-Sharaa and his colleagues to deliver on a promised new constitution and national elections.

These will likely require a combination of continued pressure and support from Syrians – as well as from their international allies and friends.