The European Union is hosting a donors' conference to rally financing for Syria's recovery after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. For the first time, the Syrian authorities will be represented at the conference. The EU has held annual donor drives for Syria for the past eight years, but this year's conference will be different and is seen as a window of opportunity. Syria's needs are massive, with swathes of the country in ruins and the economy ravaged by years of international isolation. Efforts to raise funds could be impacted by the US President's axing of Washington's foreign aid budget.