Syria Diplomatic Profile
No longer a client of Tehran or Moscow, the new Damascus leans heavily on Turkey for security guidance and looks to Saudi Arabia and Qatar for economic legitimacy.
The dynasty has fallen. Following the shock collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024 and Bashar al-Assad’s flight to asylum in Moscow, Syria has entered a volatile new chapter of post-revolutionary transition. The government in Damascus, led by former insurgent commander Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) coalition, is struggling to pivot from a militant insurgency to a functioning state administration. The geopolitical map has been radically redrawn: the Russia-Iran axis that sustained the dictatorship for a decade has disintegrated, replaced by Turkish influence in the north and a renewed, cautious engagement with the West. While the lifting of crippling sanctions like the Caesar Act has offered a glimmer of economic hope, the challenges are immense. Israel has occupied buffer zones in the southwest to ensure Iranian proxies remain neutralized, and millions of returning refugees are straining an infrastructure pulverized by fourteen years of war. Damascus is now engaged in a high-stakes diplomatic tightrope walk, seeking reconstruction funds from Gulf Arab monarchies while trying to convince the international community that its Islamist roots will not hinder inclusive governance.
Key Interests
- Securing international funds for reconstruction
- Consolidating control over rival factions
- Managing the return of refugees
Syria Allies and Enemies
Syria's closest allies: Turkey (64), Qatar (56), Saudi Arabia (53), Kuwait (44), Jordan (43).
Syria's top rivals: Iran (-57), Israel (-42), North Korea (-38), Western Sahara (-22), Venezuela (-22).
Of 202 countries, Syria has 12 allies, 187 neutral relationships, and 3 enemies.
Syria Relations by Dimension
Syria's closest military partners are Turkey (65), Jordan (30), Russia (30). Most adversarial military relationships: Israel (-65), Iran (-35), North Korea (-30).
Syria's closest diplomatic partners are Turkey (72), Qatar (70), Saudi Arabia (69). Most adversarial diplomatic relationships: Iran (-72), North Korea (-50), Venezuela (-35).
Syria's closest regime relations partners are Turkey (72), Qatar (70), Saudi Arabia (69). Most adversarial regime relations relationships: Iran (-80), North Korea (-55), Israel (-40).
Syria's closest societal relations partners are Qatar (59), Brazil (49), Kuwait (42). Most adversarial societal relations relationships: Israel (-55), Iran (-55), Iceland (-24).
Syria's closest economic interdependence partners are Turkey (47), Iran (45), United Arab Emirates (44).
Syria's closest economic policy partners are Iran (45), Russia (45), United Arab Emirates (30). Most adversarial economic policy relationships: Israel (-83), United States (-56), Canada (-45).
Syria’s Allies & Enemies
Closest Allies
Top Enemies
Syria's closest allies are Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan. Syria's most adversarial relationships are with Iran, Israel, North Korea, Western Sahara, and Venezuela.
Global Relations
Diplomatic Profile
No longer a client of Tehran or Moscow, the new Damascus leans heavily on Turkey for security guidance and looks to Saudi Arabia and Qatar for economic legitimacy.
Key Interests
The dynasty has fallen. Following the shock collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024 and Bashar al-Assad’s flight to asylum in Moscow, Syria has entered a volatile new chapter of post-revolutionary transition. The government in Damascus, led by former insurgent commander Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) coalition, is struggling to pivot from a militant insurgency to a functioning state administration. The geopolitical map has been radically redrawn: the Russia-Iran axis that sustained the dictatorship for a decade has disintegrated, replaced by Turkish influence in the north and a renewed, cautious engagement with the West. While the lifting of crippling sanctions like the Caesar Act has offered a glimmer of economic hope, the challenges are immense. Israel has occupied buffer zones in the southwest to ensure Iranian proxies remain neutralized, and millions of returning refugees are straining an infrastructure pulverized by fourteen years of war. Damascus is now engaged in a high-stakes diplomatic tightrope walk, seeking reconstruction funds from Gulf Arab monarchies while trying to convince the international community that its Islamist roots will not hinder inclusive governance.
No longer a client of Tehran or Moscow, the new Damascus leans heavily on Turkey for security guidance and looks to Saudi Arabia and Qatar for economic legitimacy.
Of 202 countries, Syria has 12 allies, 187 neutral relationships, and 3 enemies.
By Dimension
Military
Syria’s closest military partners are Turkey, Jordan, and Russia. Most adversarial: Israel, Iran, and North Korea.
Diplomatic
Syria’s closest diplomatic partners are Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Most adversarial: Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela.
Regime Relations
Syria’s closest regime relations partners are Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Most adversarial: Iran, North Korea, and Israel.
Societal Relations
Syria’s closest societal relations partners are Qatar, Brazil, and Kuwait. Most adversarial: Israel, Iran, and Iceland.
Economic Interdependence
Syria’s closest economic interdependence partners are Turkey, Iran, and United Arab Emirates.
Economic Policy
Syria’s closest economic policy partners are Iran, Russia, and United Arab Emirates. Most adversarial: Israel, United States, and Canada.
Key Questions
Post-Assad Syria's strongest relationships are with Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia — all of which backed opposition forces during the civil war and have moved quickly to engage the new government. Turkey is the single closest partner, with strongly positive ties across all four dimensions. This represents a dramatic realignment: under Assad, Syria's top allies were Iran and Russia, both of which now score among its most adversarial relationships.
Israel is Syria's most adversarial relationship, driven by decades of territorial conflict over the Golan Heights and Israel's military operations inside Syrian territory. Iran has plummeted from top ally to top enemy following the fall of the Assad regime, which was Tehran's primary proxy in the Levant. North Korea also scores very negatively, reflecting the former regime's weapons procurement ties that the new government has distanced itself from.
The reversal is one of the most dramatic in the dataset. Under Assad, Iran was Syria's closest strategic partner — providing military forces, funding, and political support. With the new government aligned with Sunni Gulf states and Turkey, Iran now scores among Syria's most adversarial relationships on diplomatic and regime relations dimensions. Switch to regime relations on the map to see the full depth of this break.
Russia's position is complex. On the military dimension, Russia still ranks among Syria's top partners — reflecting the continued presence of Russian military bases at Tartus and Khmeimim. But on the diplomatic and regime relations dimensions, the relationship has cooled significantly as the new Syrian government pivots toward Turkey and the Gulf states. This dimensional split makes Syria-Russia one of the more interesting cases to explore by switching dimensions on the map.
Syria has a small but meaningful cluster of positive relationships — mostly Gulf Arab states and Turkey — with the vast majority of the world in neutral territory and only Israel in clearly negative territory. This is a far more balanced map than under Assad, when Syria was deeply isolated from the West and the Gulf while dependent on a small axis of Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah.
Syria's societal dimension reveals unexpected partners like Brazil and Kuwait, reflecting diaspora connections and cultural affinity that operate independently of state-level diplomacy. Meanwhile, Israel and Iran remain adversarial on societal grounds as well, and Iceland appears as a distant relationship — likely reflecting the absence of any meaningful people-to-people ties. The societal map is notably different from the diplomatic one.