By The Congress Post Political Desk
WASHINGTON (CP) —
With Bashar al-Assad now in exile in Moscow after fleeing Damascus in December 2024, and Syria balance is rapidly transforming.
Al-Sharaa, a former insurgent leader turned transitional president, recently met with former U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh. In a historic shift, the U.S.
Announced it would lift longstanding sanctions on Syria’s institutions, acknowledging a potential path toward stability.
Yet, as the new Syrian government works to centralize authority, one region remains on edge, the Alawite-majority coastal corridor that once served as the Assad regime’s stronghold.
And in this vacuum, a controversial figure is reemerging: Rami Makhlouf. Makhlouf, Assad’s cousin and one-time economic czar, remains under U.S. Treasury sanctions for his role in enabling regime corruption.
He controlled over 60% of the Syrian economy at his peak through telecom, banking, energy, and real estate monopolies. His name was prominently featured in the Panama Papers for the use of offshore shell companies.
But now, sources close to Makhlouf say he is attempting to reposition himself not as a profiteer, but as a regional stabilizer. Based in Moscow, he is reportedly building a new coastal initiative framed around community protection, economic rehabilitation, and political reintegration for disenfranchised Alawite communities.
Inner-circle voices describe this move not as an attempt to reignite conflict but as preserving order and preventing fragmentation in the absence of the old regime.
The coastal region lacks clear leadership and is deeply tied to Syria’s former power center. Some observers argue that if the Alawite factions unite behind Makhlouf, and he reframes his identity as a transitional guarantor, not a warlord, the international community, including the United States, may eventually face a pivotal question:
Makhlouf must align his role with Syria’s transitional governance and contribute to a broader national framework to be seen as a legitimate stabilizer in this new era. That means supporting integration, not isolation, and ensuring that all communities, not just the Alawite base, are represented fairly and equally under the law. This is the role the moment demands.
Suppose the U.S. were willing to lift sanctions and recognize Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda insurgent who once fought U.S. forces. Could it also reconsider Rami Makhlouf’s political value if he delivers regional stability?
U.S. policy experts remain divided. Some warn that empowering figures still under active sanctions risks undermining hard-fought diplomatic progress. Others argue that real-world transitions require working with those who hold social and economic influence on the ground, even if they come from controversial legacies.
What’s clear is that the coast, and the broader Alawite belt, will require leadership during this transitional phase. Whether Rami Makhlouf can emerge from his sanctioned past into a stabilizing role will depend on whether he gains unified local support and presents a credible vision and how U.S. policymakers interpret his positioning amid the broader regional shift.
In response to The Congress Post’s inquiry, a statement was shared by those close to Rami Makhlouf:
Following the massacre of more than 10,000 people in the coastal region during the early days o fthe new regime, it became clear that we had to take responsibility for the protection of our people.
The arrival of foreign tribes settling in the area created profound instability, and we knew that security would remain out of reach without action.
In response, we formed a defensive force of 150,000 individuals not to cause chaos, but to safeguard our cities and communities against any attacks from foreign-backed gangs. This is not a foreign force.
It is made up of local people from the town itself, many of whom lost loved ones in the massacre, or who want to defend their homes and neighborhoods.
Our sole mission and vision is to protect our people from harm. In today’s Syria, where care and concern for others has diminished; we stand to fill that void.
This editorial is part of The Congress Post’s ongoing series on the new era unfolding across the Middle East.