Re-upping my piece on #CaesarAct with @WashInstitute colleague @katecbauer and after today's announcements, a few reactions:

The Caesar Act Comes Into Force (Part 1): Increasing the Assad Regime’s Isolation - @WashInstitute https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-caesar-act-comes-into-force-part-1-increasing-the-assad-regimes-isolati#.Xuo5smI3oxo.twitter https://twitter.com/LizSly/status/1273240363889762305

The sanctions announced by @StateDept are under Executive Order 13894, NOT #Caesar. It was used last year after #Turkey invaded northern Syria to sanction Turkish officials on Oct 17 and lifted a hot second later on Oct 23.

Treasury Removes Sanctions Imposed on Turkish Ministries and Senior Officials Following Pause of Turkish Operations in Northeast Syria | U.S. Department of the Treasury https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm801#.Xuo6t7L6N5I.twitter

The sanctions announced today by @USTreasury appear to be pursuant to Exec Orders 13573 and 13582. These are authorities dating back to the beginning of the war in 2011. Again, NOT #Caesar.

So a key question to ask is whether the tough conditions laid out in #CaesarAct for #Assad regime behavior change still apply to the sanctions imposed today.

Or...is the Administration preserving flexibility for itself to lift the sanctions rolled out today for less than the end states mandated by #Congress in the #CaesarAct ?

Next question to ask is why might the Administration want to give itself more flexibility than allowed under the #CaesarAct ? Take a look at the wide net cast by today's sanctions... #UAE, #Qatar, #Lebanon, #Canada, #Austria
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20200617.aspx