meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Syria’s long march in from the cold

21 February 2024

Commentary
Edmund O'Sullivan
Former editor of MEED

On 13 February, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution originally presented to congress last May that prohibits the US from normalising or recognising any Syrian government led by President Asad.

To make it binding in Washington, the resolution needs the support of both the Senate and the White House. But it is evidence that Syria’s long march from almost total isolation must navigate what looks like insuperable obstacles.

The vote was prompted by the decision in 2023 to readmit Syria to the Arab League, from which it was expelled for its reaction to the Arab Spring – an event Middle East regimes prefer to forget. They have a new regional crisis in the form of the war in Gaza and want to move on.

And so a fresh divide pitting America and its allies against the majority of the region is emerging.

Violence since 2011 has displaced half of Syria’s population. Almost seven million have left the country, most to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Around three-quarters of Syria’s people require humanitarian assistance.

Sanctions, notably the US’ draconian Caesar Act of 2019, have compounded the damage done by almost 13 years of war, which is estimated to have caused the death of more than half a million people. Earthquakes last year in northwest Syria have added to the misery.

The Arab world has decided that the attempt to force Asad and his regime from power has failed and that a new approach is required.

This conclusion is shared by almost everyone else. The economic collapse in government-held areas where around 60 per cent of Syrians live is behind what seems like an endless flow of refugees into Europe. The number of Syrians in Germany has risen in the past decade from around 100,000 to almost one million and is politically consequential.

On 12 February, Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides said it was time for the EU to designate parts of Syria as safe zones where refugees and migrants can return. There are even suggestions that some should be forced to go back.

But that is almost impossible in a country that is split into three warring parts: one ruled from Damascus with Russia’s support; a second backed by the US, where Kurdish and Arab rebels are dominant; and the third in the north-west that is a haven for anti-regime Jihadists aided by Turkey.

Every Syrian needs peace and a process that will make it permanent. And the closer you get to Syria, the more obvious that fact becomes.

Which is why lawmakers in Washington, well-intentioned as they claim to be, will probably be the last to see it. 

Connect with Edmund O’Sullivan on Twitter

More from Edmund O’Sullivan:

> Lebanon’s pain captured in a call from Beirut
> Troubled end to 2023 bodes ill for stability
> The Holy Land and delusions it inspires
> Region to mark golden jubilee of 1973 war
> Gulf funds help reshape football
> When a war crime is denied
> Embracing the new Washington consensus
> Trump, Turkiye and the trouble ahead
> A century of errors for the Middle East
> The pros and cons of the biometrics boom

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11528264/main.gif
Edmund O’Sullivan

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • SAR tenders design review consultancy for GCC rail link

    18 September 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a design management and review consultant to oversee engineering works on the GCC railway network, the latest step in advancing the long-delayed regional rail link.

    The RFP was issued on 9 September, with a submission deadline of 18 October.

    The tender seeks a consultant to manage, audit and verify deliverables produced by SAR's separately appointed design services consultant, rather than carry out the design itself. The tendering for the design services consultancy is currently in progress.

    Construction will be tendered separately through competitive bidding once designs are approved.

    The GCC railway will run for about 672 kilometres (km) inside Saudi Arabia, linking the kingdom's existing network to Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain, with four sections of about 141km, 200km, 151km and 21km, respectively.

    The line is planned as a single-track, non-electrified corridor for mixed freight and passenger traffic, with a maximum axle load of 32.4 tonnes and passing loops for bidirectional working.

    The appointed consultant will develop a design management and review plan covering governance, interdisciplinary coordination and stage-gate approvals, and will issue formal review and audit reports against SAR's requirements and international standards.

    The scope also covers stakeholder engagement, interface management and oversight of land acquisition activity tied to the design consultant's land acquisition plan.

    Key design stages are expected to take about 16 months: four months for concept design, six for preliminary design and six for issued-for-construction design, each with four weeks of contingency.

    SAR has asked bidders to mobilise a core team from day one. These must include a project director, engineering and design manager, stakeholder manager and lead document controller, all based at SAR's offices, with minimum experience thresholds ranging from three years for junior operators up to 25 years, including 15 in rail, for the project director role.

    GCC railway line

    Under the overall plan, the railway will run from Kuwait, pass through Dammam in Saudi Arabia, reach Bahrain via a planned causeway, and continue from Dammam to Qatar, the UAE and, ultimately, Muscat via Sohar in Oman. The railway is reported to cover about 2,186km in total.

    The route length within each member state is as follows:

    • UAE – 684km
    • Saudi Arabia – 672km
    • Oman – 306km
    • Qatar – 283km
    • Kuwait – 145km
    • Bahrain – 36km

    The railway is designed for passenger trains travelling at 220 kilometres an hour (km/h) and freight trains operating at 80km/h–120km/h.

    With high levels of project activity, governments in spending mode and renewed cooperation under the Al-Ula Declaration, the latest efforts to restart the GCC railway project may make more progress than previous attempts. If completed, the railway could prove transformational for a region that is globally connected but still divided by national borders.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19783331/main.gif
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Tender issued for Libyan gas project

    17 September 2026

    An invitation to bid has been issued for a contract to conduct environmental assessments for the project to expand the Mellitah oil and gas complex in Libya.

    The bid submission deadline is 2pm today (17 September) Libyan time.

    The scope of the project includes provision of:

    • An environmental baseline study (EBS)
    • An environmental impact assessment (EIA)
    • An environmental management plan (EMP)

    The client is Mellitah Oil & Gas (MOG), which is a joint venture of Italy’s Eni and Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC).

    MOG is based in Tripoli and operates both onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities.

    The joint venture owns and operates six major oil and gas fields across the North African country.

    According to the tender documents, the company that is awarded the contract will need to prepare environmental management measures in compliance with:

    • Libyan environmental legislation
    • Ministry of Environment requirements
    • NOC environmental guidelines
    • Applicable international environmental standards and best practices

    The expansion of the Mellitah oil and gas complex is part of a project estimated to be worth $8bn.

    The wider project is known as the Mellitah Complex Expansion & CO2 Management Integrated Development Project.

    It has six main packages:

    • Onshore package
    • Offshore Structure A
    • Offshore Structure E
    • Subsea pipeline package
    • Site preparation work
    • Carbon capture and storage facility

    Security issues and political instability have been a major problem for Libya’s oil and gas sector since the country’s civil war started in 2011.

    Earlier this month, the Mellitah oil and gas complex was forced to shut down temporarily due to a protest over deteriorating public services.

    The existing onshore complex includes housing, processing units, storage facilities and export facilities.

    It also serves as the launch point for the Greenstream pipeline, which delivers Libyan gas directly to Italy.

    The planned expansion of the complex will involve:

    • Construction of a new fourth gas processing train
    • Construction of a third condensate train
    • Construction of a third natural gas liquids fractionation train
    • Construction of a fourth sulphur recovery unit train
    • Installation of a hydrogen sulphide enrichment unit
    • Installation of a sulphur recovery unit
    • Construction of other associated facilities

    The Mellitah complex is located about 100 kilometres west of Tripoli and is a key energy facility in the west of the country.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19748920/main.png
    Wil Crisp
  • Nakheel awards $218m Dubai Islands buildings deal

    17 September 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Dubai-based developer Nakheel, now part of Dubai Holding, has awarded a main construction contract worth more than AED800m ($218m) for phases one and three of Bay Grove Residences at Dubai Islands.

    The contract was awarded to the local firm Metac General Contracting Company.

    It covers the construction of 537 apartments, comprising one- to four-bedroom units, across seven residential buildings.

    Phase one includes 296 units in four buildings, while phase three comprises 241 units across three buildings.

    The works are scheduled for completion in late 2028.

    Bay Grove Residences will ultimately comprise 1,154 homes across 15 buildings. Planning is under way for the remaining 617 homes in phases two and four, with further contract awards expected.

    In August last year, Nakheel awarded a AED2.6bn ($708m) contract to Abu Dhabi-based Fibrex Contracting to build the Bay Villas project at Dubai Islands. The contract includes constructing 636 villas.

    In April this year, another AED527m ($143m) contract was awarded to local firm Al-Nasr Contracting Company to construct the primary infrastructure and utilities works on Island B at the development.

    The Dubai Islands development consists of five islands spanning 18.6 square kilometres. It features more than 59 kilometres (km) of waterfront and 20km of beaches, as well as parks, golf courses, promenades and cycling paths.

    The offshore island project gained renewed momentum in 2022, when Nakheel unveiled a new masterplan and rebranded it as Dubai Islands.

    The reclaimed islands were originally part of the Palm Deira project, which was partially completed before being put on hold in 2008.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19748850/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Aldar and Mubadala acquire Masdar City Square

    17 September 2026

    Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company and local developer Aldar have completed the acquisition of Masdar City Square at Masdar City, in a transaction valued at AED918m ($250m).

    The deal was executed through their joint venture established in 2024.

    Masdar City Square comprises more than 47,000 square metres (sq m) of net leasable area across seven office buildings.

    Completed in Q1 2026, the development is 99% occupied. Tenants include Taqa, the Department of Energy, Emirates College and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

    The transaction expands the joint venture’s real estate portfolio in Masdar City, which is now valued at AED4.7bn ($1.3bn).

    Masdar City is one of the region’s leading hubs for clean energy, artificial intelligence, advanced research and sustainable urban development.

    The joint venture acquired The Link project at Masdar City for AED654m ($178m) in April.

    Comprising about 32,000 sq m of net leasable area across five buildings, The Link is fully leased to a portfolio of major tenants, including Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

    The asset includes Grade A, Leed Platinum office space, a net-zero-energy headquarters building, a multi-use hall and residential accommodation, supporting its position as a high-performing, integrated component of Masdar City.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19748241/main5814.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Neom tenders Oxagon highway contract

    17 September 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Neom has tendered a design-and-build contract covering permanent upgrade works on Highway 55 in the kingdom’s Oxagon region.

    The first phase of the project includes constructing 14 kilometres of road, with two lanes in each direction. It also covers one bridge and three interchanges.

    The project duration is 22 months.

    Contractors have been given until 21 September to submit their proposals.

    Highway 55 connects the Red Sea coast with the mainland in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is currently the only road providing north-south connectivity between Duba and the Neom region.

    MEED exclusively reported in August 2025 that contractors had submitted responses to the expressions of interest notice that Neom had issued earlier that month.

    The project is expected to support the movement of cargo vehicles from Duba Port to other parts of the country and the wider region.

    Neom tested a pilot initiative last year by handling a shipment that travelled from Cairo via the Port of Safaga, across the Red Sea to the Port of Neom, and then inland to Erbil, Iraq.

    In a statement, Neom said: “The shipment travelled through an intermodal corridor spanning over 900 kilometres, marking a significant milestone in the kingdom’s transformation into a regional and global logistics hub.”

    The Port of Neom is located on the Red Sea near the Arar border, a key entry point into Iraq.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19746896/main.gif
    Yasir Iqbal