The Importance of Open Relations With Bashar Al-Assad

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is no longer regarded as the legitimate leader of Syria. The U.S. lost a lot of credibility in the Middle East when Assad used chemical weapons, he says. Saudi Arabia felt that it had no choice but to try to de-escalate tension instead of trying to get rid of Assad because they felt this was now impossible.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad became a regional pariah after brutal crackdowns on his own citizens. But on Friday, the most powerful men in the Middle East welcomed him back into the Arab League.

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Haleema Shah, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Matt Collette and Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

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