Over the past several years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has played a critical role in bringing Syria back into the Arab diplomatic fold. Since Abu Dhabi reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018, high-ranking Emirati and Syrian officials have consistently engaged in manners that serve to shore up the standing of Bashar Al-Assad’s government in the Arab world. The  Syrian president’s Mar. 2022 visit to the UAE was a watershed in terms of his gradual rehabilitation as a “legitimate” head of state in the eyes of Sunni Arab statesmen.

The Emiratis have a host of interests in bringing Assad back in from the cold. In the UAE’s thinking, it is not useful for...