The West Must Offer Syria's Interim Government Tightly Conditioned Aid against an Emerging Assadist Insurgency
Brian Carter
An Assadist insurgency has emerged in western Syria and stands to help US adversaries expand their influence there. The insurgency has developed slowly since early January 2025. Insurgent activity involved hit-and-run attacks at first and has evolved gradually into overt civil conflict.[1] This insurgency is still at a relatively low level for the moment. But its expansion risks distracting the interim government that is still forming and thus creating opportunities for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to resurge. Iran and Russia could exploit worsening security conditions to re-entrench themselves in Syria as well. The interim government is contributing to Alawite and minority grievances that are fueling the insurgency in various ways, and the international community must not offer blanket and unconditional support to the government. The international community should rather offer significant aid with strong conditions requiring the interim governme...
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