A Clash of Foreign Policy Visions over Syria

The Trump administration is said to be riven by an internal debate over how the United States should approach the post-Assad regime in Syria. As the London-based, Saudi-owned outlet Al Majalla reported, the administration’s principals are divided into roughly two camps on the issue. One favors optimistic engagement with the new government. The other is more inclined to keep Damascus at arm’s length.

“Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Director of Counter-terrorism Sebastian Gorka are members of the latter, which rejects any engagement with the new Syrian administration,” the magazine’s report read. “In the other camp are US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Central Intelligence Agency.” Both factions have ample evidence to support their conclusions, and neither should be entirely confident in its assessment of the nascent regime. It’s a thorny question that deserves and must receive due consideration.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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The Trump administration is said to be riven by an internal debate over how the United States should approach the post-Assad regime in Syria. As the London-based, Saudi-owned outlet Al Majalla reported, the administration’s principals are divided into roughly two camps on the issue. One favors optimistic engagement with the new government. The other is more inclined to keep Damascus at arm’s length.

“Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Director of Counter-terrorism Sebastian Gorka are members of the latter, which rejects any engagement with the new Syrian administration,” the magazine’s report read. “In the other camp are US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Central Intelligence Agency.” Both factions have ample evidence to support their conclusions, and neither should be entirely confident in its assessment of the nascent regime. It’s a thorny question that deserves and must receive due consideration.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.