Posted originally on May 15, 2025 by Martin Armstrong 

Trade is a unifying agent that causes countries to put their differences aside. Donald Trump has been warmly welcomed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and even a leader from Syria.

The United States announced it would lift sanctions on Syria after Trump’s historic meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Sunni jihadist and known terrorist. The Syrian president had a $10 million bounty on him prior to his sudden meeting with Trump, which happened a day after Trump said he would consider lifting sanctions. He was placed on the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist list back in 2013 for leading the Al Nusra Front, an Al Qaeda affiliate, and directing a series of suicide bombings across Syria. Ahmed al-Sharaa openly fought against American troops in Iraq before he left for Syria to form a coup against Bashar al-Assad with the group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

I should add that America captured Ahmed al-Sharaa while he was fighting for Al Qaeda in Iraq for over half a decade. America simply released him, or so we are told. The truth of the matter is that he was almost certainly compromised and turned into a CIA asset during this time period.

Russia’s 49-year relationship with the Assad government has come to an end, and along with it, its stronghold in Syria. Syrians have been critical of Russian forces in the region and blame them for numerous civilian casualties, demanding reparations. Syria is not about humanitarian concerns. It’s about energy routes and Russian influence in the region. Washington had been trying to remove Assad for years because he refused to allow the Qatari gas pipeline that would have undermined Russia’s dominance in supplying gas to Europe. This is what the neocons never tell you. They want war—plain and simple—because it lines their pockets and advances their ideological dream of reshaping the world in their image.

Russia’s intervention in the region in 2015 was perfectly legal as Assad welcomed them in. It was the CIA and Obama who were funding radical groups in Syria, hoping to overthrow yet another government. This backfired completely and gave rise to ISIS. We now have the declassified documents from 2012 that show the US intelligence community knew this would happen and did it anyway. Ahmed al-Sharaa is exactly who the West needed to install an interim puppet government and force their way into Syria.

(Ahmed al-Sharaa, 2016)

Syria is currently under a transitional government, a preferred state by Western nations, as they can use capital to shape things to their liking. Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled in December 2024. The puppet government created a 23-member cabinet in March 2025 that is supposed to represent a diverse group with members from Christian, Druze, Kurdish, and Alawite communities and at least one woman. A number of former ministers from the Assad regime are within the cabinet as well, but HTS has full control over defense and foreign affairs.

The current president implemented the Constitutional Declaration on March 13, 2025, which will provide the framework until 2030. Yet, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) still control many regions and has not integrated into the national army. Yet, they are controlling the oil production at present.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (pictured above) and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the US to remove sanctions on Syria, citing that American aid and trade would help uplift the new government under HTS. It all comes down to money.

Turkey’s ambitions lie with the Russian debacle, as the Middle East is simply the second location for the ongoing proxy war. As I have warned, this is a NATO member to keep an eye on.

Saudi Arabia is eager to stabilize the region to encourage Gulf investments. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan declared there will be a “breakthrough in the kingdom’s support to Syria after the lifting of U.S. sanctions,” as both Saudi Arabia and Qatar begin investing heavily in rebuilding Syria with minimal international backlash, with America’s support.

Saudi Arabia also agreed to invest $600 billion into the United States in crucial sectors like defense, energy, and mining. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said $1 trillion in deals will be finalized in the coming months. The US agreed to sell Saudi Arabia $142 billion in arms, marking the largest defense agreement in American history. The US is ready to secure its place in the Middle East and form stronger alliances to ensure its stronghold over the region.

Syria has an estimated 2.5 billion in proven oil reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Pre-war, Syria was producing 385,000 barrels of oil daily, but that slowed drastically to 24,000 to 34,000 per day from 2019 to 2025. At present, Syria has been generating 110,000 barrels per day, with 100,000 barrels from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and only 10,000 from the new administration. This is far from a recovery since the nation needs about 150,000 bpd to meet demand domestically.

The United States now owns Syria through its ties to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey. More importantly, the interim government has been freshly established with a new Constitution promising diversity and a change from Sharia law to appease the West, although the president is a known jihadist terrorist who was captured by American troops and released in order to overthrow Syria’s last regime. All of this was planned out long ago. The West has leverage against Russia once again. The SFD is unlikely to surrender to the new government simply. The Art of Regime Change is in full swing in Syria as various world powers battle for influence, power, and control over the land.