Syria’s new president shows progress, but will he hold firm to his promises of peace? 

Excerpt

The undisputed star of this year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York was Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al-Qaeda commander who is now the president of Syria. 

Sharaa came to New York for his Sept. 24 address to the world body — the first such address by a Syrian president since 1967 — where he appealed for international support and the lifting of sanctions on his country. On the sidelines, he met briefly with President Trump for the second time, following their 33-minute encounter in May during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. 

Last December, Sharaa’s troops overthrew the blood-stained regime of Bashar Assad. Since then, the self-appointed president has defied expectations by taking a pragmatic approach to relations not just with the U.S., but with Israel, too. In response, Trump lifted most U.S. sanctions, saying he wanted “to give [Syrians] a chance at greatness.” 

Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, focusing on Middle East affairs and the Levant.