The rehabilitation of Syria’s dictator raises awkward questions for the West
Clearer principles about how and when to ease sanctions are needed
The Arab League’s annual summit is not a hot ticket. Yet Bashar al-Assad must be delighted with his invitation to join it in Saudi Arabia this month. Syria’s president has been ostracised by most of the world since 2011, when his repression of his people sparked one of the 21st century’s most savage civil wars. Now, as we report, he has won the conflict, and his neighbours—and some in the West—are weighing whether to re-establish ties. The dilemma over Syria is acute and found elsewhere, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Should governments continue to isolate pariah states long after it is clear that sanctions will not induce political change?
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The outcast returns”
Leaders May 13th 2023
From the May 13th 2023 edition
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