The Syrian civil war has been a constant source of contention in the United Nations Security Council since its outbreak in 2011. In the mid-2010s, the conflict was the dominant issue in the council, as Russia repeatedly used its veto to block Western resolutions aimed at pressuring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to engage with a U.N.-mediated peace process, reduce casualties and allow in humanitarian aid. In recent years, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have absorbed greater diplomatic attention, but council members have still met month after month to argue about Syria.
The sudden collapse of Assad’s regime has now created an unexpected opening for diplomats to strike a more constructive tone in New York. In closed consultations on Syria after Assad fled the country last week, all council members apparently took pragmatic positions, acknowledging the need to engage the country’s new powerbrokers in Damascus. This week the council released a press statement encouraging the U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, to work with all of the country’s various factions on an inclusive political process to define the nation’s future. This show of unity stands in sharp contrast not only to the council’s past spats over Syria, but also to its ongoing rifts on Gaza.
As a starting point for Pedersen’s efforts, council members have pointed to Resolution 2254, adopted in 2015, which called for “a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition.” The resolution, which Assad effectively ignored for most of a decade, lays out a set of guidelines—including protecting minorities and preparing for eventual elections—that still seem relevant. Rallying around this text also offers all council members, including Russia, a face-saving way to navigate the current uncertainty in Syria, rather than negotiating a new political approach.