Joe Biden renews US national emergency executive order on Syria, cites threat to peace

US President Joe Biden, on October 7, renewed the government’s declaration of national emergency in Syria, citing recent actions in the conflict-hit country. In a release, the White House said that the emergency announced as a part of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, will go beyond its deadline, which is October 14 2021. The extension, as per the presidential office, was made to tackle the “unusual and extraordinary” threat to national security in Syria and in accordance with the country’s national foreign policy. 

"In accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13894 with respect to the situation in and in relation to Syria," Biden was quoted as saying by White House. 

The national emergency with respect to the Syrian crisis was first declared under former president Donald Trump’s administration in October 2019. On Thursday, Biden said that recent actions by Bashar al-Assad’s administration and Turkish troops have undermined the Pentagon's campaign to defeat ISIS and have also jeopardised ‘peace, security and stability’ in the region. Notably, Turkish troops and the Syrian National Army (SNA), which critics say is an auxiliary army of the Turkish government, have jointly conducted multiple operations in Northeastern Syria including the 2019 offensives which lead to the establishment of the Idlib governorate. 

What is happening in Syria?

Notably, the Governorate of Idlib and parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia are among the last rebel-held areas. The Syrian civil war commenced in 2011 after the country's president Bashar Hafez Al-Assad tried to suppress opposition to his authoritarian rule, which now extends to 21 years. While armed fighting has now ended, the government and militias continue to engage in a war of nerves and occasional assaults. With the coronavirus contagion wreaking havoc, the Syrian economy has plunged manifold, with roughly 80 per cent of the population living under the poverty line. The pandemic has posed a challenging situation for countries all across the globe; however, for Syria, it has been a significant challenge with its economy and health care sector crippling due to the decade-long war-like situation.  

Image: AP