AFTER a rupture lasting around 12 years, the Arab League has opened its doors to allow Syria’s return to the bloc. Damascus was suspended from the organisation after the start of the brutal Syrian civil war, as punishment for Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on the opposition. However, much water has flowed under the bridge since then, and with Mr Assad’s government having the upper hand in the conflict — thanks largely to Russian and Iranian help in fending off the challenge from the rebel alliance — the Arab world has decided to let bygones be bygones. Of course, there are some malcontents; Qatar, one of the major backers of the Syrian opposition, says it will not resume full diplomatic relations with Damascus, while a spokesman for the US State Department has said that America does “not believe that Syria merits readmission to the Arab League”. The US, which was amongst the staunchest proponents of regime change in Syria, should not lose too much sleep over the developments, especially when most Arab states favour re-engagement with the Assad government.

The Syrian civil war, part of the Arab Spring uprisings, started off as a popular movement against Mr Assad’s authoritarian rule. Soon enough, however, the conflict developed into an ugly sectarian confrontation, as terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and IS began to dominate the opposition, especially its armed factions, promoting a violent communal narrative against Mr Assad’s minority Alawite community, which has strong representation in Syria’s corridors of power. The conflict also had a geopolitical dimension, for while Russia, Iran and Hezbollah came to the defence of the government, the US, Turkiye and most Arab states supported the opposition with arms and funds. What followed was a disaster for Syria, with over 300,000 civilian casualties and millions of Syrians displaced, many making perilous journeys to Turkiye and Europe to escape the bloodshed. It is hoped the Arab League’s re-engagement with Syria — which appears to have been given a boost by the Saudi-Iranian thaw — succeeds in permanently ending the civil war so that the Syrian people can rehabilitate their country, and that eventually the government and the opposition can reach an agreement to share power democratically. Moreover, the Arab states need to raise a strong voice against repeated Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty through hundreds of air strikes, many of which have hit civilian areas.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2023