ASSESSMENTS

Is Iran's Influence in Syria About to Wane?

Dec 23, 2019 | 09:30 GMT

This Aug. 14, 2016, picture shows heavily damaged buildings in the al-Khalediah neighborhood of the central Syrian city of Homs.

This Aug. 14, 2016, picture shows heavily damaged buildings in the al-Khalediah neighborhood of the central Syrian city of Homs. Tehran helped Damascus win the civil war, but it might not be able to help it normalize.

(LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Iran has provided invaluable security assistance to Syria during its civil war, but that aid will bring diminishing returns as the war winds down. 
  • With Iran's ability to assist Syria fading amid U.S. sanctions, Damascus will have to rely on Russia as it looks for other partners to help it rebuild.
  • As Syria seeks to restore its sovereignty and reduce its exposure to attack by Israel, it will strategize ways to put its relationship with Iran back on a more equal, pre-war footing.

Nearly nine years on, the Syrian government is winning the country's civil war, thanks in large part to strong Iranian and Russian support. But as it does, questions are rapidly emerging about how it might secure the peace -- and what that means for the influence of the allies that helped get it there. In particular, there is great uncertainty about Iran's deep influence in Syria, as Damascus strategizes ways to emerge from its economic isolation, restore its sovereignty over its internal affairs and reduce its exposure to Israel's repeated attacks. These imperatives, however, clash with some of Iran's strategy for Syria, creating a situation in which Damascus might have no choice but to cut Tehran's influence down to pre-war levels if it's ever going to find a way to rebuild the country....

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