Trump’s Visit to the Middle East Starts with Syria as a Strategic Opportunity on the Horizon

President Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for his first major overseas trip since retaking office, hoping to secure major deals on trade and diplomatic breakthroughs across the Middle East. 

The president might have an unexpected and willing partner in Syria’s new president who could offer him a huge diplomatic win.

“This is a historic opportunity, and it would be a shame if the U.S. lost it,” Natasha Hall, senior fellow with the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Fox News Digital.

President Trump seems open to renewed relations with Syria, including the possibility of lifting crippling sanctions imposed under the previous regime of Bashar al-Assad.

HTS is still a designated foreign terrorist organization, which complicates doing business in Syria.

“The question at hand is whether to believe that a change in behavior, following the fall of the regime, translates into a more permanent change in character, ideology, and governance,” Caroline Rose, director of The New Lines Institute, told Fox News Digital.

A protester holds a placard with a photo of Ahmed al-Shara (Colani) and the words “It doesn’t matter if he wears a turban or a tie, a murderer is a murderer” during the demonstration. (Murat Kocabas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Rose, who recently traveled to Syria, noted that while HTS has been incrementally breaking away from affiliations with terrorist organizations and has adopted some moderate elements over time, there are still doubts that this will “stick,” particularly with recent sectarian tensions.

“Skeptics of lifting restrictions on Syria immediately fear that any move could be too premature and could risk the U.S.’ credibility among its regional counterparts,” Rose added.

Since becoming president, al-Sharaa has formed a transitional government composed of close allies from the HTS rebel group and a mix of technocrats, former opposition leaders, civil society activists and even some former members of the Assad government. 

The temporary constitution signed by al-Sharaa in March guarantees basic freedoms such as freedoms of opinion, expression and the press. It also protects women’s rights and promises equal rights for all Syrians regardless of ethnicity, religious sect or gender, yet it still leaves the country under Islamist rule during the transitional process.

There remain some concerns over the power concentrated in the hands of the president. The president can unilaterally declare a state of emergency and suspend basic rights if national security is threatened.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, greets the then-Syrian President Bashar Assad in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 25, 2019. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)

The vast powers granted to the executive in the new constitution is a reminder for many Syrians of the authoritarian past many suffered at the hands of the Assad regime for over 50 years.

Although there is a new sense of optimism within Syrian society about its future, civil peace and security remain elusive.

Deadly sectarian clashes in March launched by remnants of the former Assad regime in Syria’s coastal region led to the deaths of 200 members of the security forces. Forces allied with the government and armed civilians responded with brute force. The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported that these groups were responsible for the deaths of at least 396 people. 

Tensions have also escalated with Syria’s Druze population as well, highlighting the delicate balance of Syria’s complex ethnic divides and the new authority’s ability to control various armed factions. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.