Syria’s New Dawn: A Hopeful Yet Uncertain Journey

By IndraStra Global Editorial Team

Cover Image Attribute: A Syrian man holding a Syrian opposition flag at the Ummayad Square, Damascus, Syria (Date 9 December 2024) / Source: Getty Images

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, after a brutal 13-year civil war, has left Syria at a crossroads, with a mix of cautious hope and daunting challenges. Ahmed al-Sharaa, once a leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), now sits as interim president, steering a nation battered by conflict toward an uncertain future. The United States, in a surprising move, lifted its “foreign terrorist organization” label from HTS on July 7, 2025, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating, “In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.” This decision, effective the next day, came alongside the dismantling of U.S. sanctions, signaling a shift in how the world sees Syria’s new leadership. But for Syrians, the question remains: can this new chapter bring stability, or will old wounds and new tensions derail the fragile hope? 
The end of Assad’s half-century family rule, marked by oppression and violence, was a moment of triumph for many. The rebellion, born in 2011 during the Arab Spring, erupted into a war that killed half a million people and forced nearly half of Syria’s population to flee. The economy is in ruins, with a February 2025 United Nations report painting a grim picture: nine out of 10 Syrians live in poverty, one in four is jobless, and the nation’s economic output is less than half what it was in 2011. For ordinary Syrians, daily life is a struggle—access to electricity, healthcare, and clean water is spotty at best. Sharaa, leading a transitional government under a temporary constitution, faces a monumental task: rebuilding a country while convincing a wary world he’s left his jihadist past behind. Critics, including rights groups, worry that the new constitution gives him too much power, leaving many to wonder if this is truly a fresh start or just a shift in who holds the reins. 
Around the world, countries are cautiously opening their doors to Syria’s new government. The U.S. led the way by lifting sanctions in May 2025, spurred by pleas from Saudi Arabia and Turkey to help Syria rejoin the global economy. President Donald Trump also scrapped a $10 million bounty on Sharaa’s head, a gesture that paved the way for his international travels to places like Saudi Arabia and France. Britain followed suit, restoring diplomatic ties on July 5, 2025, when Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Sharaa in Damascus. Lammy’s visit, as a British statement put it, showed London’s desire to help Syria rebuild its economy, ensure a fair political transition, and seek justice for those who suffered under Assad. Britain pledged £94.5 million ($129 million) for humanitarian aid, clearing out Assad’s chemical weapons, and supporting Syrian refugees in neighboring countries. The European Union, too, has eased economic sanctions, freeing up entities like Syria’s Central Bank to restart operations.
In the region, Syria’s neighbors are stepping up. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding public-sector salaries to keep the government running, with Qatar committing $29 million a month for three months, as Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh announced in May. The two Gulf nations also paid off Syria’s $15 million World Bank debt, allowing the bank to launch a project to restore electricity—a lifeline for hospitals, schools, and homes. Turkey, with its deep cultural ties to Syria, is also lending a hand. Fahrettin Altun, Turkey’s communications chief, spoke at a Damascus panel on July 8, 2025, saying, “The Baath regime, which led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands and one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, has thankfully come to an end.” Turkey has reopened its embassy, resumed flights to Damascus, and is working with Syria on everything from trade to media to combat disinformation. 
For Jordan, Syria’s neighbor to the south, the change is both a challenge and an opportunity. Sharing a 375-kilometer border, Jordan has long dealt with the war’s fallout—ISIS threats, drug smuggling, and Iranian-backed militias. It hosts over a million Syrian refugees, many of whom have built lives there, with thousands of Syrian children born in Jordanian refugee camps or communities. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the first Arab minister to visit Damascus since Assad’s fall, echoed King Abdullah II’s support for the Syrian people’s “will and choices.” Jordan sees potential in reviving trade, which once reached $500 million a year, and contributing to Syria’s reconstruction through its construction sector and Syrian-Jordanian families who could bridge economic ties. But there’s unease, too—HTS’s Islamist roots worry Jordan, where the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, the Islamic Action Front, might feel emboldened. Sharaa, aware of these concerns, told Al Sharq Al Awsat, “Syria will not be a platform for attacking or worrying any Arab or Gulf country under any circumstances,” a promise that carries weight but is met with cautious trust.
Perhaps the most surprising shift is Syria’s tentative outreach to Israel, its longtime enemy. Decades of hostility, fueled by Israel’s 1967 capture and annexation of the Golan Heights, are giving way to quiet talks, mediated by the U.S. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said Syria is open to restoring the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which created a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, who met Sharaa in Damascus, noted that the Syrian leader didn’t bring up the Golan issue, focusing instead on avoiding conflict. Thomas J. Barrack Jr., Trump’s envoy, has pushed for a nonaggression pact, though Syria has no immediate plans to join the Abraham Accords. Both nations share a common foe in Iran, Assad’s former ally, and worry about Iranian-backed groups stirring trouble. Yet, Israel’s recent raids on July 2 and July 7, 2025, targeting Iranian Quds Force cells in southern Syria, have sparked fears among Syrians that Israel might overstay its military presence. Cooper, reflecting on Sharaa, said, “My conclusion is he is a unicorn, but we should still trust but verify,” capturing the mix of hope and skepticism surrounding Syria’s leader. 
Despite Sharaa’s pledges to reject extremism and protect minorities, violence claiming hundreds of lives continues to unsettle the international community. His Al-Qaeda ties and HTS’s Islamist past make trust hard to come by, and Israel, in particular, fears an anti-Israel government taking root. Inside Syria, the concentration of power under Sharaa raises questions about whether this transition will truly be inclusive. The United Nations warns that, without massive investment, Syria’s economy could take 50 years to recover to pre-war levels—a timeline that feels like a lifetime to families struggling to survive. 
Yet, there are glimmers of hope. The release of prisoners, like Jordanian Osama Bataineh, who endured 38 years in Assad’s jails, has brought tears of joy to families. In Jordan, 3,106 Syrian refugees have returned home since December, with the UNHCR estimating a million more could follow in 2025 if conditions improve. But challenges linger—drug smuggling remains a problem, with Jordan’s anti-narcotics teams seizing 4,000 pills and arresting 12 dealers in recent operations. Cooperation with Syria’s new government will be key to tackling this and other threats, like dormant terrorist cells.
Although Syria’s journey is a tightrope walk, Sharaa must rebuild a shattered nation while convincing the world he’s a reliable partner. The support from Gulf states, Turkey, Jordan, and the West offers a lifeline, but the scars of war, economic ruin, and HTS’s controversial past loom large. Safadi’s words in Damascus—that Jordan supports Syrians in “rebuilding their state”—carry a universal hope, but the road ahead is long. For every step toward stability, there’s a risk of stumbling. Syrians, weary from years of suffering, are watching closely, hoping this new dawn brings more than just promises.
With reporting by AP News, BBC, NBS News, and Reuters.

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