The swift offensive that toppled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad over the weekend may not have been, as President-elect Donald Trump was quick to declare, America’s battle, but the US should not ignore its interests in the war-torn country. conflicts or the opportunities presented by the victory of the rebels.

Assad’s ouster is extremely good news. In 13 years of civil war, his regime tortured, starved, disappeared and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Government forces backed by Russia and Iran bombarded civilians with barrel bombs and deadly chemical weapons while more than half the population was displaced. The country’s human development indicators have gone back 35 years. Drugs have become one of Syria’s main exports. At last, Syrians may have a chance to heal their wounds, reunite with their loved ones and rebuild their lives.

At the same time, recent experience shows how badly things can go. The Islamist rebels who led the advance on Damascus tried to present a more moderate face. So did the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan before imposing medieval restrictions on women. In Iraq, religious reprisals against regime loyalists fueled a vicious, chronic insurgency that eventually led to the Islamic State. In Libya, the meddling of outside powers fueled a political stalemate that continues to paralyze the country more than a decade after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

Washington has limited ability to shape Syria’s future. That said, three priorities are worth focusing on.

The first is preventing an Islamic State resurgence. Although severely weakened, the terrorist group has dramatically stepped up attacks in Syria this year. Kurdish forces in the northeast hold more than 50,000 former jihadists and their relatives.

The roughly 900 US troops stationed in the country are vital to supporting the Kurds and tracking Islamic State fighters. the US launched a wave of strikes against the Islamists even as Assad fled to Moscow. Until any new administration proves willing to crack down on the terrorist group, the US would be wise not to withdraw forces, as Trump has long advocated.

The US should also work with European and regional allies to secure a representative transitional government. Some sort of understanding will have to be reached with Sunni rebel groups, their patron Turkey and the Kurds, as infighting will jeopardize counter-terrorism efforts.

And while Syria will lead the transition process, the US can exert influence: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the leading rebel faction, was once an offshoot of al-Qaeda and remains on the list of foreign terrorist organizations. Its leader has been awarded for 10 million dollars. Washington should set clear and reasonable conditions that the new administration must meet before the designation is lifted.

Finally, the US should exploit the newly exposed weaknesses of its adversaries to pursue its other goals, in the Middle East and beyond. Former supporters of the Assad regime in Moscow and Tehran have weakened. Israel has hit back at Iran, cutting supply lines to Hezbollah. If Russia loses access to bases in Syria, it will find it difficult to project its influence in the region and beyond.

Trump has already invited Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. The incoming US president should turn to Moscow now, rather than Kiev, to seek a peace deal with strong security guarantees for Ukraine. His new administration will also have to work with allies to send a tough message to Iran: Either negotiate curbs on its nuclear program and end support for regional militias, or face a much tougher sanctions regime.

For too long, Syria has been a source of instability and pain. The US should do everything it can to ensure that something better comes out of this trauma.

Blomberg’s editorial team