The Syrian government has achieved many successes during the transitional phase since the fall of the Assad regime. However, it remains bogged down in 10 key issues that are collectively hindering its quest to build sustainable stability in the country. These issues range from foreign matters for which Syrian diplomats must find solutions, to internal concerns primarily affecting security, the economy, and improving basic services and living standards.
1. Shielding Syria from regional volatility and avoiding it being dragged into ongoing regional conflicts. Despite successfully maintaining its neutrality during the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, Damascus continues to face pressure from Washington to play a role in Lebanon and counter Hezbollah—Iran’s key ally.
2. The need for a complete lifting of U.S. sanctions, particularly Syria’s removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Trump administration remains unclear over the extent to which lifting these sanctions is contingent on Syria submitting to its demands to intervene in Lebanon or reach a peace agreement with Israel. American sanctions continue to impede the return of foreign investment to Syria.
3. The Israeli military’s attacks and ground incursions into the buffer zone established by the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement, as well as its occupation of new areas adjacent to that zone. Israel’s policy applies significant pressure in the context of potential Syrian-Israeli negotiations, should they resume—especially following Lebanon’s signing of a framework agreement with Israel. This appears to have been the primary reason for Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani’s recent visit to Lebanon, which was aimed at coordinating the two countries’ stances on security and any potential peace agreements with Israel.
4. The relationship with the United Nations, the nature of its presence in Syria, and the roles it can play. The Syrian government maintains its refusal to relocate the UN Special Envoy’s office from Geneva to Damascus, or to agree to a successor to the previous envoy, Geir Pedersen. The dispute centers on UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015); the government believes the resolution has already been implemented, whereas the UN maintains that its mission must continue until the country reaches a more decisive state of stability.
5. The complexity of managing Syria’s international relations based on its national interests. This includes its relationship with Russia, which is seeking to preserve its military bases in Tartus and Hmeimim to maintain its regional influence—a stance that clashes with European demands for the dismantling of these bases to weaken Russian influence in the Mediterranean and Africa. It also involves balancing Turkish influence against European interests regarding the demarcation of Eastern Mediterranean waters and competing claims over energy fields, as well as countering Israeli pressure to prevent Türkiye expanding its military capabilities into southern Syria.
6. Maintaining security and asserting the state’s authority across the whole of Syria’s territory. This includes implementing the “Suwayda Roadmap” in the south, reaching an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast, and countering the terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State group. It also includes a Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) program for armed factions, aimed at restructuring the government’s military and security agencies and ensuring that the Syrian state holds a monopoly on the possession of weapons.
7. The Syrian government’s capacity to address the issue of foreign fighters—specifically French nationals—poses a challenge that is likely to intensify with the approach of a visit to Damascus by French President Emmanuel Macron, whose agenda will be dominated by the subject of French fighters and families of IS members. In parallel to this is the question of fighters affiliated with the Uyghur-dominated East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a question likely to become more pressing should Syrian-French understandings emerge during Macron’s visit—or if Syria and China reach understandings further down the road.
8. The economy, trapped between the collapse resulting from years of war and the staggering costs of reconstruction and infrastructure restoration, the near-total absence of foreign investment, and the structural weaknesses of economic, financial, and monetary institutions—all compounded by conflicting policies and poor management of state resources and public assets.
9. Transitional justice regarding accountability for crimes and human rights violations committed under the former regime. Delays in implementing these measures have sparked popular protests in several Syrian cities over the recent weeks. In some areas, these protests have sparked violence against minorities and acts of retribution against individuals linked to the Assad regime who are accused of involvement in atrocities, phenomena that threaten to spill back onto the streets.
10. Social cohesion is currently extremely fragile due both to vertical divisions among different camps of Syrian society and horizontal divisions within individual camps, regarding stances toward the former regime and the new government. Given the weakness of programs and policies addressing this issue, the threat to social cohesion risks escalating from individual disputes to broader social unrest.
Resolving these issues will require a concerted effort involving international, governmental, and grassroots actors. International support for humanitarian aid and early recovery is vital, yet out of $2.92 billion in support pledged for 2026, so far only 20% has arrived. Financial support is also essential to prop up the economy and basic public services, while political support and international and UN expertise are needed to facilitate a successful transition.
For its part, the government needs to accelerate institutional reforms across economic, legal, security, and political dimensions; it must take the initiative to pass and implement a law on transitional justice and establish joint programs with civil society to preserve social cohesion.