What’s Happening in Syria, and Why Is Trump Lifting Sanctions?

Since the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December, Syrians who endured more than half a century of state repression and 13 years of civil conflict finally have a reason for optimism.

Most of the country is now ruled by an interim government formed by an Islamist militia, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, whose surprise push into Damascus forced Assad and his family to flee to Russia. Where once the Assad regime muzzled political discourse by routinely imprisoning and torturing those who spoke out, a vigorous debate over Syria’s future is now under way on street corners and in cafes across the country while the new leadership tries to restore order and coax other former rebel groups to join a new national army.