Ford: Dialogue, clear interests and economic reform key for stable US–Syria ties

Former U.S. ambassador Robert Ford says direct channels, a clear understanding of mutual interests and respect for red lines are essential for a stable relationship between Washington and a post‑liberation Syria. In a wide-ranging interview he recounts a little-known May 2011 overture from Damascus that was thwarted when regime security forces arrested planned participants, describes his role in shaping opposition structures after the embassy closure (including efforts around the Doha meetings and the Riad Seif Initiative), and criticizes the opposition for lacking a unified leadership and a clear post‑Assad vision. Ford also calls the aborted U.S. response to the August 2013 Ghouta chemical attack a missed opportunity that might, but would not certainly, have altered Assad’s calculations, and he outlines how limited U.S. military support and strict vetting constrained opposition capabilities.

Policy and Reconstruction

Ford attributes the rapid post‑liberation warming with Washington in part to Donald Trump’s personal diplomacy and external influences, notes the decline of U.S. covert assistance under Trump and a more containment‑oriented approach under Biden, and urges Syrians to avoid resolving internal disputes through foreign patrons. Looking ahead, he argues reconstruction should combine outside technical expertise with private investment — which will only come if Syria builds predictable institutions, streamlined bureaucracy and fair courts — and stresses the need for candid, direct dialogue between Damascus and Washington while insisting Syrian solutions must come from Syrians, as reported by The Syrian Observer