Lebanon power deal: Beginning of the end of Syria's isolation?

DW

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"Whether the proposed energy deal leads to a diplomatic rehabilitation of Syria depends very much on which side of the table you sit," said Guy Burton, an international affairs professor at the Brussels School of Governance, whose work focuses on the Middle East. "The Syrian regime itself will certainly use it as such. Some of its Arab neighbors may also welcome it, like Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf states, who see it as a way of blunting Iranian influence."

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"There is a danger that the more Assad's position is normalized, this could have repercussions for refugees," added Burton. Both Lebanon and Jordan host high numbers of Syrian refugees and have called for them to return home. 

"Although the situation in Syria is post-war, it is not yet post-conflict," Burton continued. There is a lack of peace or justice there, which supports the case to continue to isolate the Assad regime, he said.

The problem, Burton concluded, is that this view is one mostly held by the US and Europeans. "By contrast, [for other countries] like Russia and Iran and maybe now some of the Arab states, such issues are much less important. For them, order and stability are most important," Burton said. "And they're likely to be happy with whoever can deliver this, including Assad himself."

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