The intent is to prevent the Syrian government from employing violence against its citizens and to motivate political reforms that could solve the root causes of the conflict. According to statista.com, Syria is the world's third most sanctioned country in the world as of March 2022.

As of February 2026, Syria is primarily classified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as a "Grey List" country, officially known as a jurisdiction under increased monitoring. This means it is actively working with the FATF to address strategic deficiencies in its regimes to counter money laundering and terrorist financing. However, in the context of international travel and diplomacy, Syria is "blacklisted" by several Western nations, including the United States and the UK, which maintain comprehensive sanctions and "Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisories. These restrictions effectively bar most commercial transactions and travel, making it one of the most isolated nations globally. While not on the FATF "Blacklist" (which currently only includes North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar), the combination of active grey-listing and severe geopolitical sanctions creates a functional blacklist for the majority of international financial and travel institutions.