While the interim government in Damascus continues to gain international support, the roadmap that it reached with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last March to integrate the northeast has yet to be implemented. U.S. frustration with this delay recently came to light, in part because the Trump administration’s planned drawdown of American forces in Syria has been paused due to concerns over the country’s stability. To help break this impasse, U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack and Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper visited northeast Syria and Damascus yesterday before facilitating a meeting between the two sides today, prompting positive statements from Washington and Kurdish officials. Nevertheless, an outbreak of fighting between local Kurdish security forces and government forces in Aleppo—while ended after twenty-four hours by both sides—underlines the risks to the roadmap’s implementation.
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