Turning point in the Middle East: Syria once again part of the Arab League

The U.S. is currently experiencing a major setback after Syria returned to the Arab League. In view of its own loss of importance, the West should now look with great concern at the reordering of geopolitical conditions in the Middle East.

The Middle East has been in a state of upheaval since the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia mediated by China. The U.S. and Israel have long benefited from fueling the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. However, the players in the Persian Gulf have been pursuing a completely new course for months: they want calm on the outside in order to be able to direct their energy to the diversification of their economies internally. In the region, the different interests and ambitions of the United States and the Gulf States intersect.

The Arab League's recent decision to readmit Syria is a significant symbolic victory for Damascus and its allies such as Russia and Iran. The move is part of a larger regional rebalancing – and an indication of the shrinking role of the US in the Middle East.

The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 after the Arab states severed relations with Damascus in the face of the Western-sponsored Salafist insurgency against Syrian state power.

In recent years, several Arab countries have focused on resuming diplomatic relations with Syria, most notably the United Arab Emirates in 2018. Jordan and Syria reopened their borders in 2021. And last month, Saudi Arabia and Syria also jointly announced that they were aiming to reopen embassies and resume flights. Saudi Arabia played a key role in pushing for Syria's return to the Arab League and hosted a meeting in April 2023 to discuss the issue.

Western opinion-makers, who recently fantasized about a "revolution" in Iran and a possible deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, have totally miscalculated because of Syria's readmission to the Arab League. Meanwhile, they tried to work through the issue through a diversionary maneuver by making new accusations against Assad's family.

Because of its own loss of importance, the West should now look with great concern at the reorganization of geopolitical conditions in the Middle East. The de-escalation process is being led by Russia and China at the expense of the Western protégé Israel. The Gulf states have not broken with Russia since the Ukraine war. And they also see China as an emerging great power that confidently stands up to the United States.

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