The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad last year should have marked the end of Russia’s hold on that country. Unfortunately, as Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al Sharaa, consolidates power, Washington is standing back. Russia, though weakened by the war in Ukraine, is moving to reclaim its influence.

The Soviet Union first established naval access at the Syrian port of Tartus in the 1970s, giving Russia its only Mediterranean port. That presence grew in 2015, when Moscow started operating the Khmeimim air base near Latakia and launched a military campaign that kept al Assad in power. Russian airstrikes turned the course of the civil war and devastated cities, contributing to the deaths of more than half a million Syrians. Moscow’s backing was indispensable. However, problems began when Russia’s resources were tied down in Ukraine. As Sharaa’s forces, backed by Turkey, advanced late last year, Assad’s regime fell in a matter of weeks. The speed of the collapse showed how dependent Damascus had been on Moscow.