Bashar al-Assad to run in elections are unrealistic and doomed to fail. (b) Strategy The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for removing the al-Assad regime from power and achieving a transition to a free and democratic Syria. The strategy shall contain the following elements: (1) A description of how all elements of power can be utilized to achieve an irreversible political transition in Syria which would remove the al-Assad regime from power, and bring about a free and democratic Syria. (2) A description of what steps can be taken to ensure women’s rights, as well as the rights of Christians, Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkomen, Alawis, Ismailis, Druze, and other ethnic or religious minorities can be protected in Syria. (3) A description of how to protect Syrian civilians from aerial bombardment by the al-Assad regime and Russia. (4) A description of how economic sanctions can be utilized and enhanced to prevent funding of and normalization with the al-Assad regime especially with regards to senior officials, and business entities of Arab countries which diplomatically recognize the al-Assad regime, including the governments of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. (5) A description regarding what steps can be taken to secure the freedom of thousands of political prisoners languishing in the prisons of the al-Assad regime as well as to free detained American hostages including Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and others, while not trading sanctions relief or diplomatic recognition of the al-Assad regime as ransom for the release of any hostages. (6) A description about whether United Nations aid to regime held areas in Syria is diverted from civilians and benefits the al-Assad regime, and how such assistance can be discontinued. (7) A description of how Iran and its backed militias especially the Iraqi Badr Corps, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Fatemiyoun, Zainabiyoun,