WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today gave the following opening remarks at a full committee hearing titled “After Assad: Navigating Syria Policy.” Witnesses included Michael Singh, managing director at the Washington Institute for near East policy, and Dana Stroul, director of research and senior fellow at the Washington Institute for near East policy.
Chairman Risch gave the following remarks:
“Since Hamas’ October 7th terror attack on Israel, long held policy assumptions governing the Middle East have been turned on their head. Iran’s “ring of fire,” which had encircled Israel with terror proxies and instability for decades is now in ruins. Thanks to our ally Israel, Hamas is on its deathbed. The crown jewel of Tehran’s terror groups, Hezbollah, is in tatters. Iran’s weapons superhighway through Syria has been severed and perhaps most shockingly, the Assad regime, a fixture of brutality, collapsed in what seems like an instant.
“The fall of the Assad regime presents policymakers with a dilemma – how should the United States engage with Syria, should we engage with Syria, and at the same time, safeguard U.S. national security interests now that the Assad regime is gone?
“There is a very real tradeoff between opportunity and risk. Too much engagement too soon could create more security dilemmas, but no or too little engagement could give Russia and Iran the ability to wield substantial influence again and also signal the U.S. has no interest which would be an incorrect assumption. Make no mistake there are very real dangers to lifting sanctions to quickly.
“After all, Syria’s interim leader, Al-Sharaa, has rebranded himself as a moderate, but he has supported some of the most violent terror groups in the Middle East. He fought under al Qaeda in Iraq, worked under the Islamic State, and pledged allegiance to al Qaeda, all in the past.
“In addition, Syria is rightly subject to a vast array of sanctions, to include sanctions placed under the Caesar Act which I drew and all of us supported to get in place. Before the United States expands its engagement, several vital security interests need to be addressed and I’m going to list four of those in just a minute.
“Going back to Al-Sharra and we should be fair that he has been saying the right things and much of the bad behavior that he committed, admittedly, is quite aways in the past. Let’s talk about the things that need to be addressed if we’re going to engage with Syria.
“Number one, following the tragic attacks in New Orleans, which was inspired by the Islamic State, and troubling reports of ISIS infiltration across the southern border during the Biden administration; we need evidence that the interim government will not allow Syria to be a launching pad for terror attacks against the United States or our partners. This includes full accountability and elimination of the Assad regime’s chemical weapon stockpiles.
“Second, Russia and Iran must be permanently ejected from Syria. Moscow must not have use of its port on the Mediterranean to threaten the U.S. or our allies. I am particularly troubled by Damascus recently hosting a Russian delegation to explore basing agreements.
“Third, the Assad regime tragically turned Syria into a narco-state, flooding the region with illegal drugs, and fueling corruption and instability in the region. Additionally, this trade of methamphetamine and Captagon served as a source of revenue for the Assad regime, undermining the impact of U.S. and international sanctions and wreaking havoc on Syria’s neighbors. Assad’s methamphetamine empire, with its sprawling infrastructure and literal mountains of inventory, has to be destroyed.
“Fourth, the interim government must account for Americans citizens detained by the Assad regime, including Austin Tice. This is a top priority for the United States and should be a top priority for Syrian leaders if they truly wish to work toward change in our bilateral relationship.
“Finally, Al-Sharaa dissolved the Syrian constitution and appointed himself President for four years. Syrians deserve a political roadmap that returns power to the Syrian people and does not fall back into a brutal dictatorship that threatens them or American security.
“On all of these fronts, the United States requires more than promises. If the new Syrian regime wants to have a friend in the United States, which the new interim government says that they do, we will need to see action on the items I have laid out. If they do that, they will find a willing partner in the United States.
“In short, we must help and do enough to show the new interim government we are sincere in our desire to build an alliance and at the same time we must with clear eyes maintain the ability to disengage if they prove to be nothing more than just another authoritarian government with no respect for human rights or religious diversity.
“I know the national security council at the White House is working on a Syrian policy. I’m happy they’re doing that and we’re giving them our input. However, what I would propose they seriously consider, is what we’re going to say here today. I’m not talking about U.S. taxpayer dollars, what I am talking about is a gradual lifting of the Caesar sanctions that we’ve put in place. Let them come into place, let’s see how they’re doing, let’s see how the new interim government acts, and if that happens, we will continue in a stream of lifting those sanctions.
“I’m urging because time is of the essence that the National Security Council take this up as soon as possible. Until that happens, this is the policy of the United States I believe we should follow and that I’ll be pursuing.
“With that, I know the ranking member and I share some common thoughts in this regard. We’ve spoken about it a lot and like myself she has spoken with a lot of the Syrian people and other people who have interest in the region.
“So, with that, I yield to Senator Shaheen.”
These remarks have been lightly edited for clarity. Witness testimony is available on foreign.senate.gov.
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