[Opinion] Syria's Return to the Arab League After 12 Years

Expectations for Dispute Resolution and Refugee Repatriation
Realistic Approach Needed for the Korean Peninsula

On May 7th, Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo, Egypt, decided to readmit Syria as a member state. The Arab League was established in 1945 by 22 countries for regional cooperation and conflict resolution. Syria was expelled from the Arab League in 2011 after the Bashar al-Assad regime violently suppressed large-scale anti-government protests. Several Arab countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, supported resistance forces aiming to overthrow the Assad regime. Now, President Assad will be able to attend the Arab League summit scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on the 19th. After a long period of isolation, Syria is officially returning to the Arab world. This is a symbolic victory for Syria.

The prolonged Syrian war has resulted in nearly 500,000 deaths since March 2011, and almost half of the pre-war population of 23 million has migrated either abroad or to other regions within the country. As the war progressed, the Assad government firmly regained control over most of Syria, including major cities. The Syrian crisis has also had very negative effects on neighboring countries. Arab states wanted to resolve this situation and concluded that ignoring the Assad regime was not the solution.

In recent years, several Arab countries have already begun restoring diplomatic relations with Syria. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) normalized diplomatic ties in 2018. Jordan reopened its border with Syria in 2021. The Saudi foreign minister visited Syria last month for the first time in over a decade. Both countries agreed to establish embassies and resume flights. On February 6th, an earthquake killed more than 6,000 people in Syria and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Arab countries, once hostile, have provided humanitarian aid. For Syria, regional cooperation is essential to first stabilize the country and promote economic reconstruction. Recently, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Syria to negotiate economic cooperation. Iran can maintain its relations with Lebanon through Syria and counter Israel.

Syria’s return to the Arab League was led by Saudi Arabia despite opposition from some Arab countries. Saudi Arabia and the UAE judged that the Assad regime’s collapse was unlikely and that improving relations to somewhat reduce Syria’s dependence on Iran was preferable. Saudi Arabia likely also viewed regional peace as a prerequisite for realizing its ‘Vision 2030.’ On the other hand, the recent reconciliation trend between Saudi Arabia and Iran has made political resolution of regional conflicts more visible. Syria will be a testing ground for the true intentions of both countries. The United States declared no policy change toward Syria following this decision. However, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others have shown a willingness to no longer rely solely on the U.S. to resolve Middle East issues. This marks a reduction in the U.S. role.

However, it is uncertain whether the investments Syria expects will materialize immediately. The U.S. maintains extensive sanctions on Syria, and Europe is also participating. Over time, as trust builds between Arab countries and Syria, economic relations will deepen. The Arab League currently expects Syria to demonstrate a political approach to resolving conflicts, crack down on drug trafficking, and expedite the repatriation of Syrian refugees. The scale of Arab countries’ support for Syria will be determined by Syria’s attitude. The pragmatic approach of Arab countries to resolve regional conflicts with a future-oriented perspective is something that is also needed on the Korean Peninsula today.

Kim Dong-gi, author of 'The Power of Geopolitics'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.