In international relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, only permanent interests. As British prime minister Lord Palmerston reminded the House of Commons in 1848, “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
“We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
Lord Palmerston
The catastrophic earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6 may have helped realign and reinforce the tectonic plates of permanent Arab interests by accelerating Syria’s return to its Arab community and thus weakening Iran’s influence in the region.
The United Arab Emirates is leading the regional push toward full normalization with the Syrian state as well as humanitarian aid. Having pledged more than $100 m. to Syria, the UAE has already delivered 6,000 tons of food, medicine, and medical supplies; sent a search and rescue team to help locate survivors; and donated 10 state-of-the-art ambulances able to travel into rugged terrain.
Aside from its own mission, aptly named Operation Gallant Knight 2, the UAE was instrumental in allowing international humanitarian groups to enter Syria. According to many sources, the day before UN aid chief Martin Griffiths was due to visit Damascus on February 13, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and convinced him to allow aid to cross the Turkish border into Syria.
Regional players are increasingly taking a productive approach to dealing with Damascus, rather than a punitive one, recognizing that inter-Arab issues cannot be resolved by third parties. To overcome the challenges facing the region, Arab solidarity is crucial.
Unfortunately, the absence of Arab involvement in the Syrian conflict has allowed foreign powers, often with malign intentions, to gain a foothold in the country. Rather than working to solve problems in the Arab world, these foreign powers have exacerbated them.
The West needs to accept that Syria’s reintegration is only a matter of time, especially given its geographic centrality in the region. While the White House focuses its attention on the Indo-Pacific rather than the Middle East, regional powers like the UAE are becoming increasingly independent.
This was evidenced by the recent Saudi-Iranian rapprochement and their agreement under Chinese mediation. Arab independence was also underscored by Assad’s recent visit to the UAE.
Following his trip to Moscow on March 14, Assad arrived in the UAE on March 19, accompanied by his wife Asma, who is said to be in support of reducing Damascus’s dependency on Iranian support. They were warmly received with full honors by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan. After meeting with Assad, the UAE president tweeted: “We held constructive talks aimed at developing relations between our two countries. Our discussions also explored ways of enhancing cooperation to accelerate stability and progress in Syria and the region.”
Assad’s visit holds significant political importance not only in the Arab region but throughout the wider Middle East. It was evident that the Syrian president was eager to prove to the Western world that its perception of him was not entirely accurate and that he was willing to reengage in the world order.
The video of their meeting has been widely circulated, particularly among Syrians, and it is almost certain that every Syrian, whether in the country or the diaspora, watched it with a sense of hope.
Why does Syria want to normalize ties with the UAE?
Regional and international powers continue to vie for influence, either through hostility toward the Damascus government (the United States and Turkey) or by forming alliances with it (Russia and Iran). None of these countries, however, can match the UAE’s popularity, regional acceptance, and international friendships across various axes and parties.
THE UAE IS now in a unique position to capitalize on its strong relationship with Syria and forge an alliance that can pave the way for developmental and economic cooperation that will ultimately dovetail with political discussions.
Breaking the alliance between Tehran and Damascus may seem utopian, but the UAE offers many advantages that Tehran cannot provide, including economic and diplomatic benefits both regionally and globally.
For Damascus, a successful détente with the UAE would help end its Arab isolation by ultimately restoring its membership in the Arab League, whose members will be attracted by the economic opportunities presented by the reconstruction of Syria.
Most importantly, though, integrating Syria back into the Arab brotherhood will largely guarantee stability and calm in the region, making closer relations between the UAE and Syria a necessity rather than a diplomatic luxury. Abu Dhabi is known for its soft policy and ability to build friendships across all barriers.
Over time, a strengthened UAE-Syria relationship may pave the way for mediated Syrian-Israeli peace talks. Israel is aware of the importance of peace with Syria and would welcome it into the Abraham Accords. Granted, Syria wants to regain control of the occupied Golan Heights, but a formula of understanding could be reached between Israel and Syria similar to what Egypt and Jordan have done in the past.
Of course, this path forward is not straightforward or without risks. Rather, it is a long-term geopolitical game filled with potential pitfalls. While the UAE leadership is fully cognizant of this, it also believes that the long-term gains outweigh the short-term geopolitical risks.
The West would be wise to view Syria’s return to its Arab brethren as a first step toward normalizing its own relations with Damascus. Without Western assurances that it will open its doors and coffers to help in Syria’s reconstruction, Assad cannot afford to cut all ties with Russia and Iran.
Moreover, the lack of clarity from Washington and Europe regarding the Emirati-Syrian rapprochement only adds to the suffering of the Syrian people. It is imperative that a green light be given, whether overtly or covertly, and that President Joe Biden trusts the UAE president, a highly respected figure known as Al-Hakim (The Wise), who enjoys the support of most Arab decision-makers, to find solutions to the Syrian crisis.
This would involve Emirati mediation in the negotiations between the Damascus government and its opponents. Fortunately, the UAE has strong diplomatic ties with other regional powers, including Qatar, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The US and the West have used human rights as a reason to impose political and economic sanctions against Syria. Yet the Syrian people, who have no power in the political process, suffer the most from these sanctions, dying from hunger, cold and disease in far greater numbers than on the battlefield.
We are currently witnessing a historic moment that presents a significant opportunity in the growing alliance between Syria and its Arab neighbors to be a strong and stabilizing factor in the region, both politically and economically.
To succeed, both the Emirates and Syria must be encouraged by Washington and Western leaders to seize this opportunity. If Syria represents the region’s past and the UAE its present, fostering strong relations between the two countries can significantly assure peace and prosperity for the region’s future.
The writer is a Jordanian thinker, businessman, philosopher and philanthropist, and writes in the Arab and Western press.