Trump and Al-Sharaa in Riyadh: the birth of a new geopolitical architecture in the Middle East
In an unprecedented scene, a US president meets with a Syrian leader fresh out of a group classified as terrorist, in a move that reveals a markedly pragmatic shift in US foreign policy logic and signals the end of one era and the beginning of another that transcends the dichotomy between ‘international legitimacy’ and the ‘axis of resistance.’
The meeting, hosted by Saudi Arabia and coordinated with Turkey, has multiple meanings that transcend political protocol. It represents an effective recognition by the United States of the legitimacy of the new Syrian regime after the fall of the Al-Assad regime and Damascus' return to the path of ‘international acceptance,’ on condition that it integrates into regional arrangements aligned with the new US vision for the region.
As for the lifting of US sanctions on Syria, this is presented as a political price paid in exchange for economic and geostrategic commitments, among which the opening of the US market and the offer of unprecedented investment facilities stand out, including the proposal to build a ‘Trump Tower’ in the heart of Damascus, in a scene that reflects the Trumpian fusion of politics and business.
However, the deeper background to this step lies in US pressure on the new Syrian regime to join the ‘Abraham Accords’ and begin a process of normalisation with Israel, at a sensitive regional moment marked by the escalation of the conflict in Gaza and growing anger among the Arab people at Western positions. This invitation is a true test of the new Syrian regime's flexibility and its ability to manoeuvre between the demands of a war-torn interior and the conditions imposed from outside to tame Syria within the new regional and global order.
What happened in Riyadh is not simply a meeting, but a complete relocation of the United States in the region after years of withdrawal and hesitation. Trump, who is returning to the scene with a vengeance, is proposing a new approach based on ‘economic diplomacy’ rather than military intervention, and is seeking to exert influence through investment contracts and security agreements, as demonstrated by the huge arms deals and investments in the Gulf agreed during this visit.
This step has significant implications for the balance of power in the Middle East. On the one hand, it could pave the way for the emergence of a new regional axis including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and post-Assad Syria, as opposed to the Iranian axis, which risks losing its Syrian card. On the other hand, it opens the door to Syria's return to the Arab League and international financial institutions, provided it aligns itself with the rules of the new US game. However, this opening remains fraught with internal risks, as Syrian society, exhausted by war, may not easily accept participation in agreements that normalise relations with Tel Aviv without obtaining political compensation or the return of the occupied Golan Heights.
In short, we are witnessing the beginning of a new phase of engineering for the Middle East, where the logic of ideological conflict is receding and the logic of pragmatic arrangements, based on the principle of mutual benefit and circumstantial alliances, is advancing. What comes after the meeting between Trump and Al-Sharaa will not be the same as what came before, especially as the dynamics of regional alliances will be reconfigured and the international system watches cautiously to see whether post-Assad Syria will become a strategic partner of the West or remain hostage to its regional balances.
Lahoucine Bekkar Sbaai, lawyer at the Bar Association of the Courts of Appeal of Agadir and Laayoune, researcher on migration and human rights, and expert on the Moroccan Sahara conflict.
Translation from Arabic by: Abdessamad Benyaich