World News

Is Syria stable enough to engage with the world? 

09 July 2026
This content originally appeared on Al Jazeera.

It’s now a year and a half since the Bashar al-Assad regime was overthrown in Syria.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has visited countries in the region as well as the US, as his transitional government tries to bring Syria out of diplomatic and economic isolation.

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Washington has lifted sanctions and plans to remove Damascus from the list of state sponsors of “terrorism”, a designation that dates back to 1979.

But security challenges continue – the latest being twin attacks in the capital this month.

There is also pressure from Israel, which has occupied additional territory in the southwest of Syria since the Assad regime was deposed.

Presenter: Per Nyberg

Guests:

Omar Abu Laila – Political and Syrian affairs analyst

Robert Ford – Former US Ambassador to Syria

Khaled Batarfi – Political and Saudi affairs analyst