WASHINGTON — Three words — “Assad must go'' — once came to define US policy in Syria. Today, the Biden administration's stance could be summarized as, Assad must not be normalized without something in return. 

The Arab world is rebuilding ties with President Bashar al-Assad, more than a decade after the regime violently cracked down on a peaceful anti-government uprising, spawning a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people, created a new generation of extremist groups and caused the biggest displacement crisis since World War II. 

The Biden administration has long said it opposes the Syrian government’s normalization absent serious progress toward UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which in 2015 laid out a roadmap for a political settlement to end the crisis. But last month, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf offered a slightly different message.

“Our basic message has been [that] if you’re going to engage with the [Assad] regime, get something for that,” Leaf said during an Al-Monitor event on March 9.