Updates from the field
U.S. Policy and the Future of Syria
Nadine Maenza testifies on post-Assad Syria
February 11, 2026 | by McKenzie Hood
On February 10, 2026, Nadine Maenza, Senior Advisor to Shai Fund and former Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a full committee hearing titled “Syria at a Crossroads: U.S. Policy Challenges Post-Assad.”
The hearing, chaired by Representative Brian Mast, examined the direction of U.S. policy as Syria enters a fragile post-Assad transition.
In her testimony, Maenza warned that without sustained oversight and conditional engagement, Syria risks renewed atrocities. She cited escalating violence and intimidation against Christians, Druze, Alawites, Yazidis, Kurds, and other vulnerable communities. She also raised concerns about extremist elements integrated into security forces, the release of ISIS-linked detainees, and rising incitement targeting minority populations.
“Religious freedom is not a separate issue from security or prosperity. It is a foundation for both,” she told members of Congress.
Maenza emphasized that religious freedom is a practical measure of long-term stability. When communities are protected equally under the law, they remain, invest, rebuild, and contribute to national recovery. When they are threatened or treated as second-class citizens, they flee. Instability follows.
She also pointed to a model worth protecting in northeast Syria. There, inclusive local governance has enabled Christians, Yezidis, and other minorities to serve in leadership and security roles. This structure has fostered social cohesion in a region long fractured by war. As the Syrian government moves to integrate the northeast, Maenza urged Congress to ensure that local governance and minority protections remain intact not only on paper, but in practice.
Syria stands at a decisive moment. After decades of authoritarian rule and years of civil war, the country has an opportunity to rebuild. But that rebuilding cannot come at the expense of equal citizenship or the survival of its ancient Christian and minority communities.
As Maenza concluded in her testimony, the United States has a role to play in steering Syria away from authoritarian retrenchment and toward inclusive governance. Only with religious freedom can Christians, Alawites, Druze, Yezidis, and other communities remain in their homeland. And only then can Syria move toward lasting peace and stability.
