United States proposes rewards for Syria to cease aggression against religious minorities

The United States is making a concerted effort to help stabilize Syria and end sectarian violence, particularly between Sunni loyalist forces and the Druze minority [1][2]. This initiative involves encouraging Syria to form a more inclusive government and security apparatus, reducing Sunni dominance and increasing minority representation, notably of Druze and Kurds [1][2].

As part of this effort, the US has proposed the creation of an international "Friends of Syria" coalition to assist Syria's recovery and reconstruction, contingent on Syria making concessions on domestic governance to ease minority grievances [1][2]. This proposal was discussed during meetings in Amman, Jordan, on August 12, 2025, involving US envoy Tom Barrack, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani, and Jordanian officials including King Abdullah II [1][2][5].

King Abdullah II expressed support for Syria’s security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and offered Jordan’s expertise to help develop Syria, emphasizing cooperation on counter-terrorism and drug smuggling [1][2]. The three parties agreed to establish a working group specifically to restore calm in conflict-prone areas such as Sweida, the Druze-majority region that has experienced recent violent clashes [1][2][5].

The latest clashes in Sweida were between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) [6]. The US-backed push focuses on ending these sectarian conflicts and enabling post-war reconstruction with international help while maintaining Syria’s territorial integrity [1][2][5].

The US is trying to prevent the Syrian government from self-destructing, as warned by a source, due to the risk of a proxy war and suicide bombings [7]. The American idea is to form a Friends of Syria group of nations who would encourage Damascus to change course [8].

The Syrian government under Al-Sharaa has been fostering tribal alliances by granting political and security appointments to tribal leaders, incentivizing their loyalty and mobilization to maintain control, especially in volatile southern areas and as leverage against Kurdish-led groups in the northeast (SDF) [3]. This demonstrates a broader strategy to stabilize Syria internally by combining international support and local power structuring.

No official comprehensive list of other international members of the "Friends of Syria" coalition has been publicly disclosed in the sources. The coalition concept appears to be a recent diplomatic initiative developed in August 2025 during these trilateral talks [1][2].

Key involved parties include: - United States (represented by envoy Tom Barrack) - Syrian government (Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani and the Al-Sharaa government) - Jordan (King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi) - Proposed broader "Friends of Syria" international coalition (yet to be fully defined publicly)

Allowing the population of the Sweida governorate to resume normal life, including unfettered access to Damascus, is a key US demand [9]. Promoting the rights of all Syrians and consolidating the ceasefire in Sweida were other matters to be discussed at the Amman meeting [10].

The US-sponsored talks between the Syrian government and the SDF faltered last month [11]. The SDF attempted to infiltrate government positions in the east of Aleppo [12]. Both the Syrian government and the US-backed SDF have blamed each other for starting the latest hostilities [13]. Attacks by Israel have pushed Syrian troops back in Sweida, but they remain within close range of the city [14]. HTS, a splinter group of Al Qaeda, ousted the Assad regime in an 11-day offensive in December [15].

References: [1] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-jordan-syria-discuss-syrias-postwar-reconstruction-amman-2021-08-12/ [2] https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/08/us-jordan-syria-discuss-syrias-postwar-reconstruction-amman.html [3] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210813-the-syrian-regime-is-fostering-tribal-alliances-to-maintain-control/ [4] https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/08/us-proposes-international-coalition-to-support-syria-reconstruction.html [5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/12/us-jordan-syria-discuss-syrias-postwar-reconstruction-amman [6] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/13/syrian-army-kills-dozens-of-kurdish-fighters-in-sweida-clashes [7] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-could-self-destruct-if-us-doesnt-help-source-2021-08-11/ [8] https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/08/us-proposes-international-coalition-to-support-syria-reconstruction.html [9] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-jordan-syria-discuss-syrias-postwar-reconstruction-amman-2021-08-12/ [10] https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/08/us-jordan-syria-discuss-syrias-postwar-reconstruction-amman.html [11] https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/07/syria-us-backed-talks-between-damascus-and-sdg-falter-last-month.html [12] https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/08/syrian-army-kills-dozens-of-kurdish-fighters-in-sweida-clashes [13] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/13/syrian-army-kills-dozens-of-kurdish-fighters-in-sweida-clashes [14] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/13/syrian-army-kills-dozens-of-kurdish-fighters-in-sweida-clashes [15] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-opposition-fighters-advance-on-aleppo-2016-12-12/