Thread by @Charles_Lister

So, the #UAE is the first to meet in-person, in the open with #Assad -- the 21st century's #Hitler.

Not a good look for a foreign ministry that in its own words, was established to "support internationally recognized morals & ethics."

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/1458100109812588557

As I wrote several weeks ago, the path towards #Assad's normalization may have been partially paved, but the ambiguity of the #Biden admin's #Syria policy & its inaction has provided an opening.

Green or orange light is irrelevant -- the effect is clear.

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/1446510161997221890

Some suggest the recent surge in engagement with #Assad is an implementation of the often discussed "step for step" approach.

Nonsense.

#Syria's regime is giving nothing in return for normalizing moves by the #UAE, #Jordan, #Algeria & others -- it remains as brutal as ever.

Whatever the motivation -- trade, energy, refugees or rivalry with #Iran or #Turkey -- there is & will be nothing to be gained from re-engaging & normalizing #Assad's rule in #Syria.

None of those goals will be met; they'll all end in disappointment -- only #Assad will benefit.

In July 2019, I wrote a then-controversial article in @ForeignPolicy -- "#Assad Hasn't Won Anything."

Even amid recent moves in the region, I stand by almost every word today, nearly 2.5yrs later.

You simply can't wish away/ignore the deep realities.

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/1149706613823090688

@ForeignPolicy For 10yrs, #Assad has presided over a conflict that's killed 500,000 & displaced 13+ million. 100,000 people are missing -- assumed "disappeared," thanks in part to bespoke prison crematoriums.

#Assad signed off on 340+ chemical weapons attacks, killing those he called "germs."

@ForeignPolicy A regime with a record of such enormous & unspeakable brutality should not be granted even a semblance of legitimacy.

There's more prosecutable evidence against #Assad than we had against #Hitler at #Nuremberg -- and yet some now celebrate a return to "brotherly" relations.

@ForeignPolicy .@DMiliband is sadly spot-on when he says we now live in "The Age of Impunity."

10yrs of unspeakable war crimes are now met with shrugged shoulders & policymakers are "fatigued" of talking about #Syria.

Never mind the deep analytical errors, the moral collapse is staggering.

@ForeignPolicy @DMiliband It's all well & good for the #Biden admin & EU allies to reiterate their public commitment to UNSCR2254 & 'no normalization' -- but the silence & inaction to recent actions speaks a thousand words.

Inaction is a policy too & it's often even more impactful than action itself.

@ForeignPolicy @DMiliband Apparently, today's ABZ visit to #Assad is going to:

- Help Syrians recover
- Help return 10 million refugees
- Increase Arab presence in #Syria
- Re-arrange the "Arab house"
- Reduce #Iran's presence
- End #Turkey's occupation

I'd laugh, if it wasn't so tragic.

https://twitter.com/Abdulkhaleq_UAE/status/1458121049887973380

@ForeignPolicy @DMiliband In response to today's #UAE visit to #Assad, @StateDeptSpox suggested that the U.S. was pre-informed of the trip... & he reiterated the long-standing #Obama-#Trump-#Biden lines:

- U.S won't normalize or upgrade ties with #Syria
- U.S doesn't support others normalizing/upgrading

@ForeignPolicy @DMiliband @StateDeptSpox After visiting #Assad in #Damascus, #UAE FM 'ABZ' is in #Jordan, meeting with King Abdullah, the other arm pushing the normalizing route with #Syria.

Our allies are clearly disinterested/undeterred by the meek statements of opposition from #Washington, #London et. al.

https://twitter.com/RHCJO/status/1458429762414710791

@ForeignPolicy @DMiliband @StateDeptSpox Rumors have been swirling since last night that during his visit to #Damascus yesterday, the #UAE FM may have invited #Assad to #Dubai to visit @expo2020dubai.

Very much unconfirmed, but if it happens, it'd be a development of enormous, irreversible significance.