Arab League votes to reinstate Syria’s membership after 12-year suspension
PBS NewsHourMAY 2023
The ongoing rapprochement between the bloody Syrian regime and the Arab world will fuel existing regional conflicts and generate new ones. Not only will Assad's narco-state exploit the opening to flood the region with illicit drugs, but Arab states will directly collide with Western sanctions if they attempt to financially support the Syrian regime. Washington must stand by its values and not only increase its vigilance against any attempts to evade sanctions but punish those who try to do so.
The gradual Syrian-Saudi reconciliation and Syria's return to the Arab League, of which it is a founding member, are further evidence of Washington's waning regional influence in a multipolar world and the failure of US-backed efforts to topple the Syrian government. Moreover, Syria's return to the Arab League will not only strengthen the Arab bloc's regional stance, but also contribute to solving the Syrian crisis and addressing implications such as terrorism, drug smuggling, and the refugee crisis.