Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2026

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Advisor(s)

Nojang Khatami, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Sarah P. Lockhart, Ph.D.

Abstract

Regime change often results in a state undergoing a drastic change of governance, largely due to dissatisfaction with the previous ruling government. It has been argued by international relations theorists like John Mearsheimer, that the motivation in a state’s action is derived from fear, power maximization, or self-interest. In the case of Syria, both the Ba’athist regime and the post-Assad governments are motivated by self-interest, which is reflected in their respective conduct of foreign policy. This thesis uses a cumulative methodological approach combined with ethnographic research to understand how the political and social changes in Syria influenced the change in foreign policy with the new government. The relevant literature of this thesis is focused on international relations theories, which explain the rationale for how states navigate the security and international systems, in addition to Syria’s foreign policy under both Hafez and Bashar al-Assad. A brief historical timeline will cover Syrian history from Hafez al-Assad’s seizure of power in 1970 to the rebel offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Ahmed al-Sharaa, that ended the Syrian Civil War in December 2024. The analysis of post-Assad Syria will be examined with month-by-month analyses from December 2024 to December 2025, revealing how the al-Sharaa administration has prioritized economic reconstruction and combatting sectarian violence, while working to rebuild diplomacy on the regional and international stage. These factors all contribute to the change in Syrian foreign policy from the Ba’athist era. A shift that will undoubtedly alter the balance of power in the Middle East in favor of the U.S., Israel, and the Gulf states, as opposed to Russia, Iran and the Axis of Resistance.

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