Syria is about to find out if getting rid of Assad is enough to please Washington

By Ivan Timofeev, programme director of the Valdai Club.

The recent change in leadership in Syria raises questions about potential reforms of the US sanctions regime against Syria. Over the past two decades, Washington has imposed some of the most stringent restrictions against Syria. These include financial sanctions, extensive export controls, import bans, as well as visa and travel restrictions. However, the political transition now underway may be creating an environment conducive to easing sanctions pressure on Damascus. The minister of foreign affairs of the Syrian transitional government has called on the US to lift the sanctions. It’s highly likely that we will see a gradual easing of the restrictive measures. However, this process will be slow, and the legal frameworks underpinning unilateral US sanctions…