Relationship dossier
Australia
Syria
Relationship assessment
Relations marked by Australian sanctions and military action in Syria, alongside Syrian objections to coalition operations.
Australia toward Syria
-45Australia imposed sanctions on the Syrian government, expelled Syrian diplomats in 2012, and participated in coalition military operations against Islamic State in Syria. These measures and actions placed substantial strain on relations with the Syrian government.
Syria toward Australia
-25The Syrian government objected to coalition airstrikes on Syrian territory, including operations involving Australia, describing them as violations of Syrian sovereignty. The breadth of other direct Syrian government conduct toward Australia is unclear.
Overall relationship
-35The relationship has been shaped by Australia's sanctions against the Syrian government and its participation in military operations on Syrian territory, which the Syrian government opposed as violations of sovereignty. These adversarial features have outweighed evidence of substantive bilateral cooperation.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Australia imposed sanctions on the Syrian government, expelled Syrian diplomats in 2012 and later participated in military operations against Islamic State in Syria. The Syrian government objected to coalition airstrikes on Syrian territory as violations of sovereignty. These actions indicate sustained friction, although the scope of direct bilateral engagement and subsequent policy developments is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Australian sanctions against the Syrian government
- Australian participation in coalition military operations in Syria
- Syrian objections to foreign military operations on its territory
Key developments
Australia expelled Syrian diplomats in response to the Houla massacre.
Australia participated in coalition air operations against Islamic State in Syria; the Syrian government objected to such operations as violations of sovereignty.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of Australian sanctions on Syria over time are unclear.
- The extent of direct Syrian government responses to Australian military operations is unclear.
- The status and scope of direct bilateral engagement following major political changes in Syria are uncertain.