Kamran Bokhari
The fall of the Assad regime in Syria created a unique problem for Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They are relieved that their regional and sectarian rival, Iran, has lost its power and influence in the Levant, but its demise has empowered Sunni Islamists in Syria, the likes of which Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have spent many years and untold amounts of money suppressing. Sunni Arab states will now have to deal with Islamists at the state level.
For now, it seems as though they will at least try to play nice. On Jan. 2, for example, a delegation of Syria’s government-in-the-making that included Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab arrived in Saudi Arabia – the first trip of its kind for the administration led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Discussions with their counterparts focused on how the kingdom could assist the transition process. Separately, the Saudis sent 60 trucks and six planes laden with essential supplies, including food, shelter and medical aid, for the Syrian people.
It was an interesting move considering the Saudi government is not prepared to deal, let alone interested in dealing, with a government not led by Bashar Assad. Before the uprising that toppled his regime, Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been trying to reconcile with Assad in the hopes of dislodging him from Iran’s sphere of influence. They had begun to mend ties as early as 2023, with Assad paying visits to the UAE in March and Saudi Arabia in May of that year. The process seemed to be going well: Riyadh reopened its embassy in Damascus in September – only a couple of months before rebels mounted the offensive that led to Assad’s toppling.
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