Washington is betting on a new Syria. The question is whether Syria can survive the bet.

In this episode of The Diplomat, Joe Kawly speaks with Will Todman of CSIS, who recently returned from Syria, about what has changed since the fall of Assad and what has not.

The conversation cuts through optimistic policy narratives and examines the risks that remain beneath the surface: fragile security, internal factionalism, unrealistic economic expectations, and the danger of U.S. disengagement once sanctions are lifted.

This is not a story about triumph. It is a story about timing, leverage, and how easily momentum can collapse.