![caesar 3 damascus caesar 3 damascus](https://www.nghenhachay.net/image/aDhpRUwweV9SdWM/mqdefault.jpg)
Meanwhile, Iran views Syria as an arena where it can expand its regional influence and establish a permanent military presence. Lebanese Shia movement Hizbullah, which is backed by Iran, has sought to achieve two primary goals in Syria: to open a second front against Israel and to secure land routes from Iran to Lebanon (via Iraq and Syria) for weapons transfers. The Caesar act will sanction individuals, businesses, and political and security actors that have sought to aid Assad in his military campaigns for their own benefit. Washington’s idea that Assad cares enough about Syrians to begin making concessions to gain sanctions relief is flawed. Instead, Assad remains resolute in his position, despite the cost of an almost-decade long war, the decimation of Syria’s business sector, and the country’s ongoing economic collapse. The socio-economic hardships that Syrians face will not drive Assad to the bargaining table – if that were the case, he would already be negotiating a political transition. The Syrian government continues to deny humanitarian aid to opposition areas, to indiscriminately target civilians and civilian infrastructure, and to recapture territory using siege warfare – one of Assad’s most tried and tested tactics. More importantly, Assad’s long track record demonstrates that he is more concerned with consolidating his own position than limiting the suffering of Syrian people. In the face of a host of US and EU sanctions, Assad has shown no inclination to seriously engage in a peace process, nor has he entertained any international initiative that would lead to his removal.įrustratingly for the international community, sanctions in recent years have resulted in very little change: Assad continues his military campaign – often causing civilian casualties – and despite a range of sanctions, he still has plenty of family members, friends, and other businesspeople that he can call on to establish front companies to evade sanctions. Since 2014, Assad has consolidated his military and political control over large swathes of the country and become more secure in his position. Codenamed “Caesar”, he smuggled tens of thousands of photos documenting his government’s abuse of detainees since the conflict began in 2011. The act has been a long time in the making and is named after a former member of Syria’s military police who defected in 2014. This will bring Lebanese, Iranian, Russian – Syria’s three-largest supporters – and other actors further into its crosshairs. The act is a step up from previous sanctions programmes the US has implemented in Syria and provides the administration of US President Donald Trump with the power to pursue third-party, non-US violators. The US Congress’s passing of the Caesar act in December 2019 has significantly expanded Washington’s ability to target governments, companies and individuals that seek to profit from the Syrian conflict or help Assad maintain military operations. The US remains committed to extending sanctions against these countries. Foreign businesses will face integrity risks in Lebanon, Syria and Iran, where sanctions evasion persists.Outside Syria, the Caesar act will not prevent groups such as Hizbullah and the Iranian government from supporting Assad, and will instead add to the financial hardship of citizens in those countries.Instead, Damascus will continue to pursue a maximalist military policy to assert control over the country – at the expense of civilians – and Assad will use established networks to evade sanctions.The US will not significantly disrupt, let alone dislodge, the Syrian government by further sanctioning individuals, businesses and governments that support President Bashar al-Assad’s government.However, the act will most disadvantage the civilians it claims to protect.
![caesar 3 damascus caesar 3 damascus](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yD4qb0df6g0/hqdefault.jpg)
The US administration has framed its Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act as a new means of containing the Syrian government and its backers. Caesar sanctions will not change decision-making in Damascus