The Caesar Act is a United States law that restricts commercial and economic ties with Syria.
November 10, 2025
high
temporal
Description of the Caesar Act's primary effect on U.S.-Syria commercial relations.
The Syrian civil war has lasted approximately 13 years as of 2025.
November 04, 2025
high
temporal
Approximate duration of the Syrian civil war referenced in 2025.
Syria has experienced decades of international isolation.
November 01, 2025
high
temporal
Diplomatic and economic isolation affecting Syria over multiple decades
A United Nations humanitarian statement in May 2025 reported that 90% of Syrians live in poverty, 16.5 million people in Syria need protection and humanitarian assistance, and nearly 3 million face acute food insecurity.
May 01, 2025
high
temporal
Core statistical findings reported to the U.N. Security Council by the U.N. humanitarian coordination office.
Around January 2025, approximately 13 million Syriansâabout half of Syria's populationâwere internally displaced or living abroad as refugees.
January 01, 2025
high
temporal
Displacement and refugee figures linked to the Syrian civil war.
A 2019 U.S. sanctions law imposed severe restrictions on the Syrian economy.
January 01, 2019
high
legal
Describes the effect of U.S. legislation enacted in 2019 targeting Syria.
In March 2017, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang issued a nationwide injunction blocking President Donald Trump's revised "travel ban," the March 2017 executive order that suspended travel for 90 days from six majority-Muslim countries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen) and paused the entry of asylum seekers for 120 days.
March 01, 2017
high
temporal
Federal-court injunction and description of the executive order's provisions.
The Syrian conflict began in early 2011 and has resulted in nearly 500,000 deaths and millions of people displaced.
March 15, 2011
high
temporal
Summary figures describing the scale of the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.
Syria gained full independence in 1946.
April 17, 1946
high
temporal
Date commonly cited as the year Syria achieved independence from French mandate control.
Syria gained independence from France in 1946.
January 01, 1946
high
temporal
Post-colonial national independence.
The Assad family governed Syria for more than 50 years.
high
historical
Long-term authoritarian governance in Syria by the Assad family.
Syria experienced decades of international isolation following its domestic and regional policies.
medium
political
Sustained diplomatic and economic isolation affecting Syria's international relationships.
Hezbollah has used supply routes through Syria and Iraq to sustain or rebuild its weapons supply chain.
medium
descriptive
Describes reported logistical routes for weapons procurement and resupply.
The Caesar Act is a U.S. sanctions policy targeting Syrian government and security officials in response to widespread allegations of human rights abuses.
high
policy
U.S. legislative/administrative sanctions regime related to Syria.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is an al-Qaeda-affiliated armed group operating in Syria.
high
contextual
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is widely described as an al-Qaeda affiliate active in the Syrian conflict.
The Islamic State (ISIS) at its territorial peak in the mid-2010s controlled large swaths of land spanning the SyriaâIraq border.
high
temporal
ISIS established and governed contiguous territory across parts of Syria and Iraq before losing most of that territory later in the 2010s.
The government of Syria under Bashar al-Assad has been subject to U.S. and international economic sanctions over extended periods, including measures sustained for multiple years.
medium
contextual
Western and other countries have applied sanctions targeting the Assad government as a policy tool over long time spans.
The Caesar Act is a U.S. sanctions law that imposes penalties on Syria in response to allegations of widespread human rights abuses by the Assad government and security forces.
high
descriptive
U.S. statutory sanctions targeting Syria for alleged human rights violations.
Hezbollah has increasingly relied on domestic manufacturing of rockets as smuggling weapons into Lebanon from Syria has become more difficult.
medium
descriptive
Describes a shift in Hezbollah's weapons procurement and production methods.