Imagine Syria, not as an embattled war-wracked country, but a train reeling down broken tracks toward the flames.

 

 

According to the UN, the driver of that train is, as it stands, still Bashar al-Assad. But each carriage spluttering behind him is overstuffed with its own set of problems. And over the past decade of conflict, the train has only swelled and acquired more carriages and causes of contention as the crisis deepens. Each carriage is weighed down by different internal and external influences, economic woes and religious discrepancies.

 

 

Syria cannot be viewed from the lens that it's all one giant mess. Each of those carriages requires a unique vision to resolve, thus requiring its own set of solutions. The Syria situation is so profoundly layered. It is not only a proxy war of outside power players vying for their agenda, but of local and regional players elbowing for authority.

 

 

We can also add the unfurling economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic as yet another carriage to contend with to steer Syria away from the rising destination of fire.

 

 

So, as you can see, each carriage – given its distinct list of trials and tribulations – requires a different approach, different strategy and a separate team of problem solvers and a different timeline for solving these issues. Furthermore, each carriage needs different players and representatives of various foreign countries to be sitting at its own resolution table.

 

 

In a nutshell, one sweeping Syria strategy just is not going to cut it. But perhaps what advisors and policymakers aren't telling the president is that there is a massive swell of civil support for US involvement in a positive way in each of those main areas. These are groups of civilians who don't bear arms; they are independent in their thinking and not under the regime's doctrine or Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or Kurds or any other overbearing line of prowess.

 

 

Every day, I engage with hundreds of individuals in these areas who are ready and wanting to cooperate with the Washington leadership to make your mission easier. In large part, what these people want is better education – they want a franchise of US schools and education in their quest to ensure a brighter Syria for future generations and recovery from the tragedies of war.

 

 

So the first step?

 

 

The train will continue to careen into the inferno if we do not change the driver – aka Bashar al-Assad. Without change all those carriages will never make it to the right station. This can happen easily, should the US and Russia agree to it. The two countries can then cooperate to help install a transitional government, under a similar model used after Omar al-Bashir’s ouster in Sudan.

 

 

This decision won't alter the turbulence inside the carriages, but it will reduce the speed and set things rights.

 

 

Second, Washington needs to appoint a US special envoy – the way it has already done for Iran and Yemen – for Syria. We have complete confidence in Secretary Blinken in his heart and mind to do the right thing in steering Syria. The envoy will form teams to address the Syria regions, with different personnel and budgets and goals, and should include locals on-the-ground. Their voices must not be forgotten.

 

 

Another team will function on a more Macro level to drive Syria's transitional government toward free and fair elections, as well as the mammoth job of reconstruction, which can and should bear a benefit to US companies.

 

 

The issue of sanctions against the regime should also be re-examined. To accelerate the lifting of these and adhere to the US official statements that Syria must not act hostile towards its neighbors, issues in the southwestern regions must be resolved with Israel's involvement.

 

 

We want to take advantage of the big project of reconstruction in Syria, and swiftly solve the Syria-Israel conflict and sign a peace deal so we can include the Golan Heights in this project to serve all countries in the region.

 

 

It is also vital that governorates be changed to "states," enabling de-centralized leaders to work on strategy and development plans with whichever country will be financing much of the execution, whether it be Turkey, EU, US, Japan and the Gulf states. Iran also has an opportunity to play a positive role economically, instead of militarily and politically. Russia may also play a part if it supports the solution.

 

 

Such a multi-faceted approach will also pave the way for Syrians versed in skilled labor to return to their homeland safely and ensure basic survival needs can be met.

 

 

This tailored plan is also in the best interests of the US's national security interests – ISIS won't have any hosting communities and will further wither away. Hezbollah will lose its trump cards, and the United States will have further leverage in future Iran talks, given Tehran's diminished existence in Syria.

 

 

As Syrians, we are calling on President Biden to implement this blueprint to bring an end to this ten-year suffering, in which at least a million people have lost their lives. This cannot continue. As members of the diaspora – many who are desperate to return – we are here to support you. And I can assure you, those Syrians on the ground are waiting with bated breath for this moment.

 

 

This is the new Syria – peaceful and prosperous. You can lead the way.