The Arab League readmits the Assad government

What happened

Twelve years after suspension, Arab states readmit Syria under Assad, betting that normalisation would deliver stability, captagon suppression and refugee returns. The bet delivers none of the three before the government falls nineteen months later.

Rehabilitation's failure matters for the present: the regional states that normalised with Assad pivoted rapidly to the transition, and the conditionality lessons — normalisation for conduct — now shape how sanctions relief and recognition are sequenced.

Confidence: High