Senior Fellow, Washington Institute I Former @WHNSC45 @StateDept I President, Drake Energy Forum I Author I Re-tweets ≠ endorsements
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Joined March 2011
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Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
Exclusive:
1- Mazloum Abdi and Ilham Ahmad are currently in Damascus, where they are set to meet Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
2- If the talks proceed as planned, President Ahmad al-Sharaa @AH_AlSharaa will receive @MazloumAbdi and @ElhamAhmadSDC in the presence of @AsaadHShaibani
3- Discussions will focus on the implementation of the agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF, signed at the end of January 2026.
4- An official announcement dissolving the #SDF is expected.
5- The parties will then move to the second phase of the agreement.
#Syria – Update / Exclusive
1- Nechirvan Barzani is expected to visit Damascus in the coming hours in the first visit of its kind since the political change in Syria.
2- The visit follows previous meetings with Syrian President @AH_AlSharaa in Antalya and Foreign Minister @AsaadHShaibani at the Munich Security Conference in February 2025 and 2026.
3- A senior delegation from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq visited Damascus secretly several weeks ago to prepare for the visit. The two sides reached a number of important understandings that paved the way for it.
4- Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani @masoud_barzani played a positive role in supporting the implementation of the SDF integration agreement. This was preceded by telephone conversations with President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
5- Barzani-affiliated civil institutions are active in northeastern Syria, particularly in education, humanitarian relief, and development.
6- Kurdish figures close to Erbil have begun assuming roles within Syrian state institutions, including the People’s Assembly.
7- Days ago, Damascus launched the practical steps to open a Syrian consulate in Erbil, reflecting the elevation of relations with the Kurdistan Region to a new diplomatic level.
8- Nechirvan @IKRPresident and Masoud Barzani maintain good relations with both Damascus and Ankara, while Bafel Talabani and Sulaymaniyah enjoy closer ties with Tehran. Sulaymaniyah has also traditionally been closer to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
9- The growing rapprochement between Damascus and Erbil strengthens the position of the Kurdish camp aligned with Barzani and reduces the influence of the PKK, in line with the priorities of both Damascus and Ankara.
10- Damascus is betting on deepening its relationship with Erbil while offering greater political and cultural outreach to Syrian Kurds—including broader participation in state institutions and the People’s Assembly, and greater openness toward the Kurdish language and cultural identity—in exchange for reducing the influence of the SDF and separating it from its Kurdish support base.
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
يرى أندرو جيه. تابلرأنه إذا تمكنت #دمشق من الحد من المخاطر التي عانت منها المشاريع السابقة، فقد تبرز #سوريا بالفعل كجزء من حل أوسع للمخاطر التي كشف عنها إغلاق #مضيق_هرمز.
@Andrewtabler
washingtoninstitute.org/ar/p…
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
“A Syrian intervention in Lebanon would carry substantial risks for both Damascus and Washington,” writes @Andrewtabler in Al Majalla. washingtoninstitute.org/poli…
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
📌قال الرئيس الأميركي دونالد #ترمب إنه اقترح على #إسرائيل أن يتولّى الرئيس السوري #أحمد_الشرع أمرَ #حزب_الله اللبناني المدعوم من #طهران، لافتاً إلى أن الحملة الإسرائيلية تسبّبت في سقوط عدد كبير من الضحايا.
📌وأشاد ترمب بالشرع الذي قال إنه يقوم "بعمل مذهل"، مضيفاً خلال قمة #مجموعة_السبع "إذا لم تتمكّن إسرائيل من إنجاز المهمّة (ضد حزب الله) من دون قتل الجميع، فإنه (الشرع) سيتولّى ذلك. سوريا ستقوم بالمهمّة".
📌واعتبر أن الشرع "جيد جداُ في التعامل مع حزب الله، ولا يحبهم"، مشيراُ إلى أن الرئيس السوري "ليس شخصاُ بسيطاُ أو ساذجاُ".
🔍في هذا الإطار، اقرأ في #المجلة 👇
♦️سوريا ضمن الحدود... والحدود
@ibrahimhamidi
majalla.com/node/331548
♦️سوريا ليست مستعدة بعد لخوض حرب خارج حدودها
@Andrewtabler
majalla.com/node/331541
♦️سوريا ولبنان... بين الذاكرة الثقيلة ومتطلبات الحاضر
@aliamansour
majalla.com/node/329546
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
“While al-Sharaa’s Syria appears willing to partner with the United States and its regional allies in containing Iran and promoting regional stability, it is neither willing nor well positioned to serve as an expeditionary force against Iranian-backed groups beyond its borders, whether Hezbollah in Lebanon or Shiite militias in Iraq,” writes @Andrewtabler in Al Majalla. washingtoninstitute.org/poli…
Sending Syria into Lebanon was bad advice for President Trump when I first wrote about it last March. And remains so in this update in Al Majalla @AlMajallaEN this week.
My latest on why The US should not encourage Syria to enter Lebanon en.majalla.com/node/331537/p…
Yes, thus my use of major.
HKN Texas beat them to it. They signed in April. Our story al-monitor.com/originals/202…
First US major (with Novaterra) to sign energy contract in Syria. ConocoPhillips set to sign deal with Syria to revive gas production ft.com/content/d63c5138-bf81… via @ft
Indeed.
"Syria continues to suffer from weak institutions, opaque business practices, and pervasive corruption... International energy companies require transparent contracts, predictable regulations, and enforceable legal protections before committing substantial capital." washingtoninstitute.org/poli… This applies too all major investments, not just ones related to building energy pipelines. By @Andrewtabler
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
سوريا ليست مستعدة بعدُ لخوض حرب خارج حدودها
مقال مهم من الصديق أندرو تابلر @Andrewtabler في #المجلة"عن احتمالات تدخل سوريا في لبنان ورفض دمشق لعب دور خارج حدودها
- المقال
majalla.com/node/331541/سياسة/سوريا-ليست-مستعدة-بعدُ-لخوض-حرب-خارج-حدودها
My latest on why The US should not encourage Syria to enter Lebanon en.majalla.com/node/331537/p…
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
As Iran continues its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, policymakers and investors “are searching for ways to reduce dependence on one of the world’s most vulnerable maritime chokepoints,” writes @Andrewtabler. But history suggests that pipelines crossing through Syria “are not merely economic assets—they are also strategic vulnerabilities.” washingtoninstitute.org/poli…
My latest on the realities impacting Syria’s dream of becoming the next Strait of Hormuz - or at least part of it. washingtoninstitute.org/poli…
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
Exclusive #Syria
1. Contacts are underway to arrange a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa @AH_AlSharaa to Washington in the coming days.
2. French President @EmmanuelMacron is expected to visit Damascus early next month, in what would be the first visit by a European leader (and Zelenskyy) to the new Syria.
3. Al-Sharaa’s participation in the G7 Summit in France later this month had not previously been under official consideration.
4. The visit would be al-Sharaa’s second trip to Washington following his meeting with President Donald #Trump at the White House last November.
5. @POTUS and al-Sharaa held a phone call a few days ago.
6. Damascus wants Syria removed from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
7. Trump wants Syria to play a larger role in Lebanon, particularly regarding Hezbollah’s weapons.
8. Trump is seeking a formal agreement between Syria and Israel.
9. Syria wants to reactivate the 1974 Disengagement Agreement or negotiate an updated version of it.
10. Syria is seeking an Israeli withdrawal to the lines held on December 8, 2024.
11. Netanyahu opposes such a move, while Trump is seeking possible solutions.
12. Trump has fulfilled his pledge by lifting sanctions on Syria and ending the Caesar Act sanctions framework.
13. Syria has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
14. U.S. forces completed their withdrawal from Syria in March, along with the closure of their military bases there.
15. Foreign Minister @AsaadHShaibani visited Algeria days after a trip to Morocco, reflecting Damascus’s effort to maintain balanced relations with both countries.
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
For Syrian officials, Washington's message is simple: Foreign energy capital is unlikely to flow quickly so long as the world sees their government as an opaque regime with unclear authority and uncertain legal protections, writes @Andrewtabler. washingtoninstitute.org/poli…
Andrew J. Tabler retweeted
"Syria may indeed be one of the Middle East’s most promising post-conflict energy opportunities. But until politics catches up with ambition, the sector will generate more headlines than actual recovery," writes @Andrewtabler. washingtoninstitute.org/poli…
My latest on the current -
and unfortunately formidable - international and internal obstacles standing in the way of Syria’s energy recovery. washingtoninstitute.org/poli…
US and Iran stuck in “game of diplomatic chicken” - @MikeBrestDC washingtonexaminer.com/polic…
The war between the U.S. and Iran has turned into a race to see whether Tehran’s oil industry or global energy consumers crack first. Solid analysis from @benoitfaucon wsj.com/world/middle-east/ir…
