Syria After Assad: The Scramble for Influence

Scene Setting: Syria’s New Political Puzzle

Council of American Ambassadors 2025 Spring Conference

Ambassador G. Philip Hughes opened the session “Syria after Assad: The Scramble for Power,” referencing President Trump’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia and his landmark meeting with Syria’s interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa. The decision to lift U.S. sanctions marked a major shift in policy, highlighting the complexities of Syria’s post-Assad future.

Ambassador Hughes introduced Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, former U.S. Ambassador to Syria among other countries in the region, who described the Trump–al-Sharaa meeting as bold and positive but not without risk. Ambassador Crocker stressed that Syria’s fate is tied to broader regional dynamics, including threats from ISIS, Iran, and concerns from Israel and Turkey about their own security. Ambassador Crocker also noted Syria’s fragile ethnic and sectarian mix—Alawites, Druze, Kurds, Palestinians, and others—and warned that beneath the surface calm, instability could return. Ambassador Crocker concluded that international engagement especially from the United States remains vital to preserving Syria’s fragile stability.