Very pleased to see this report out. Core lesson from this short-lived experience is that Washington was right to impose consequences on settler violence, but sanctions alone are a limited tool absent a broader policy on settlements. Great to work with my old friends @centuryintl.bsky.social on this

I wrote about the Biden administration's efforts to sanction Israeli settlers for @centuryintl.bsky.social. The program had some real successes, but in other ways, it backfired. tcf.org/content/comm... 🧵 1/5

Tune in to my interview on the CBC with Canadian journalism legend Susan Ormiston. I discuss with the great @edwardfishman.bsky.social and Andrea Charron whether economic punishment actually shapes behavior — or just creates diplomatic noise.🎙️ Listen here: www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

My latest in @foreignpolicy.com. Trump has promised to lift sanctions on Syria. I explain why it's not that easy to fully end the sanctions—and their effects. foreignpolicy.com/2025/06/02/t...

🚨NEW @crisisgroup.org REPORT Libya's $70 billion sovereign wealth fund has been under UN #sanctions since the revolt against Muammar al-Qadhafi in 2011. The sanctions remain in place more a decade after his death.🧵 www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

Important article on how the West, and especially the U.S., cannot figure out how to lift sanctions. But they are very good at imposing them. www.justsecurity.org/108458/sanct...

Key members of Syria’s interim government are under UN sanctions, prolonging the country’s humanitarian crisis. For @crisisgroup.org, @jeromed.bsky.social @mayaungar.bsky.social & I explain why the UN Security Council should consider starting the delisting process www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

Chris Newton and I explain in our @crisisgroup.org commentary how U.S. aid cuts will make famine more likely and easier to hide. www.crisisgroup.org/united-state... 1/

International Crisis Group’s Delaney Simon on U.S. sanctions relief for Syria, arguing that more is needed, faster. @delaneysimon.bsky.social @lawfare.bsky.social @crisisgroup.org www.lawfaremedia.org/article/u.s....

@delaneysimon.bsky.social for @lawfare.bsky.social on the limitations of U.S. sanctions relief so far for post-Assad Syria, and what more the Trump administration should now do to help stabilize the country's economy: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/u.s....

"Washington should take advantage of the opportunity to shape Syria’s future for the better and remove the obstacles it has placed in its path. Inaction could place a millstone around Syria’s neck." Smart view on Syria sanctions from @delaneysimon.bsky.social. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/u.s....

Following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian people have serious challenges as they rebuild their society—including U.S. sanctions. @delaneysimon.bsky.social explains the reforms the Trump administration could implement to prevent Syria from descending into chaos.

As I wrote in @lawfare.bsky.social, President Trump should offer bolder sanctions reforms than Biden did if he wants to prevent Syria from descending into chaos. 1/3 🧵 www.lawfaremedia.org/article/u.s....

Syria’s new leaders seem eager to curry favor with the West, and international leaders should engage with them to set Syria up for success, argue @delaneysimon.bsky.social, Graeme Smith, and Jerome Drevon.

When trying to gauge the possible impact of the lifting of sanctions on Syria, many analysts look back at when the EU lifted sanctions on Iran in 2016. At the time, EU companies struggled. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...

European foreign ministers are coordinating on how to (partially) lift sanctions on Syria at their next meeting in Brussels on the 27th. While it's a move that is likely to be widely welcomed, there's a big question mark around what the US will do, @delaneysimon.bsky.social tells me

Good work on web of syria sanctions in work by @delaneysimon.bsky.social and @crisisgroup.org colleagues foreignaffairs.com/afghanistan/do… And @alexzerden.bsky.social Scott anderson @lawfare.bsky.social lawfaremedia.org/article/our-ma���

@delaneysimon.bsky.social, @graemesmith.bsky.social & @jeromed.bsky.social on learning from #Afghanistan in #Syria is great. The need to give HTS "adequate clarity about how to gain diplomatic recognition and shake off sanctions" is universal for transitions. www.foreignaffairs.com/afghanistan/...

Importat timely piece on syria sanctions policy from @delaneysimon.bsky.social and @crisisgroup.org colleagues @foreignaffairs.com They highlight importance of both quick humanitarian relief channels AND need for clear signals on what would be needed for broad sanctions relief. t.co/D9z5KOSsd7

Good free-to-read @foreignaffairs.com piece piece on how the USA and Europe appear set to wreck Syria’s transition by simply defaulting to economic warfare for lack of clear ideas. @delaneysimon.bsky.social @jeromed.bsky.social @graemesmithauthor.bsky.social www.foreignaffairs.com/afghanistan/...

In @foreignaffairs.com, @graemesmithauthor.bsky.social, @jeromed.bsky.social and I urge Western policymakers to make better choices in #Syria than they did in #Afghanistan, or risk sabotaging Syria's transition 🧵1/ www.foreignaffairs.com/afghanistan/...

Illuminating essay by @abujamajem.com in @foreignaffairs.com. “It is in everyone’s interest that Syria succeed... Interested countries now need to do everything they can to ensure that the worst fears about a post-Assad Syria do not come to pass.” www.foreignaffairs.com/syria/how-ho...

"When Syria rebuilds, it's going to have to move beyond the illicit economy. It will have to reinvigorate industry and the banking sector. This will be really difficult with sanctions in place." My interview with @mattgalloway.bsky.social on @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social cbc.ca/listen/live-...

“Moscow became a “hub” for evading western sanctions imposed after Assad brutally put down an uprising in 2011.” Interesting how Assad sent plane loads of cash to Russia as both were reeling from western sanctions.

I talked to @AsharqBusiness about the path to economic recovery in Syria and why it will be seriously obstructed without sanctions relief. now.asharq.com/clip/%D9%83%...

I told @theintercept.com, “Not considering sanctions relief right now is like pulling the rug out from under Syria just when it’s trying to stand...I can’t overemphasize the intensity of the effect of the sanctions on the Syrian economy.” theintercept.com/2024/12/13/a...

I highly recommend @alexzerden.bsky.social and @sranderson.bsky.social's excellent @lawfare.bsky.social article. It goes into detail about the legal implications of the overlapping sanctions regimes that, if left unreformed, will stunt Syria's transition. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/our-... 1/2

Absolutely

Good comprehensive piece from @alexzerden.bsky.social @sranderson.bsky.social on the myriad of overlapping financial sanctions targeting Syrian actors for a variety of reasons. Some good recommendations including humanitarian exemptions to make sure sanctions don’t undermine broader goals

You can rematch our panel discussion on Syria online!

This morning I talked to BBC's Lyse Doucet about the steps Western governments can take right now to help Syria get on its feet. Failing to take action on #sanctions relief is like pulling the rug out from under Syria just as it's trying to stand.

@aronlund.bsky.social gets it spot on in @thenationalnews.com when he says "the risk of delaying economic assistance to Syria, including sanctions relief, is that you will have a much more problematic situation, not just in Syria in general, but with HTS as well".

Smart article from @seharrison7.bsky.social about what a faithful application of the Department of Defense Leahy law to Israel would look like based on the publicly available facts.

My colleague @seharrison7.bsky.social drafted a model “action memo” to illustrate for the public what, in her view, a faithful application of the Department of Defense Leahy law to Israel would look like. www.justsecurity.org/105675/model...

What Syria Needs in Order to Rebuild www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/o...

Listen to @farahstockman.bsky.social's great podcast. She shares much of @crisisgroup.org's analysis on Syria sanctions. We can't underplay the serious risks of sanctions relief. But they can be managed. Relief in exchange for action is the most strategic approach. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/o...

"Syria is one of the most heavily sanctioned countries on earth. There is no way that it can rebuild its economy and open a new chapter as long as those sanctions remain in place." @farahstockman.bsky.social's great podcast. Worth a listen.

Crisis Group's statement on Syria. We're calling on Washington and other Western capitals to prioritize efforts to make sure that sanctions do not choke the economic recovery essential for a successful transition. www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-...

Absolutely. A careful reassessment of US sanctions policy for Syria is essential right now. "It would be ridiculous to keep sanctions meant to punish al-Assad after al-Assad has fled." www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/o...

This, right here, may be the rarest of all political creatures: a Syria analyst who holds the same view of the humanitarian impact of sanctions regardless of which regime is in power in Damascus.

Many of the sanctions-related challenges now facing Syria are the same ones that faced the country two weeks ago: Humanitarian exemptions are not sufficient – aid alone cannot feed and sustain Syria's people. They need a functioning economy and public institutions. Need sanctions relief ASAP.

hard to see Iran continuing to provide fuel to syria at least not as charity. Who will provide key supplies for refineries. Syrian cargos not a large share of Iranian exports (between 1-3million barrels range for last few years).

It’s utterly vital

Read this thread. The lessons from Afghanistan are so relevant to Syria.

After the fall of a brutal dictatorship, the West needs a plan for sanctions relief. #Syria is one of the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world. Leaving severe #sanctions in place will be like pulling the rug out from under Syria just as it tries to stand. 🧵1/

Great time to follow my @crisisgroup.org colleague @jeromed.bsky.social.

Can armed groups be delisted by the Security Council? Are there any veto by the P5 Members? A thread on how could HTS be delisted, and what political leverage this gives and to whom A threat (1)

A very good development that’s proving its worth already, given that HTS is on the Al Qaeda/ISIL list. HTS gains in control shouldn’t cause humanitarian delivery in Syria to contract. The resolution helps safeguard against such an outcome.

Top sanctions scholar George Lopez in @justsecurity.org on four factors that will limit sanctions' effectiveness in the coming years. Hugely relevant read. www.justsecurity.org/104844/sanct...