May 17, 2025 | New York Sun
Are Trump, Democrats Too Trusting of Syria’s New Leader?
Ahmad al-Sharaa ‘is a different person than he once was,’ says Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff. Yet Sharaa’s actions do not always match his words.
May 17, 2025 | New York Sun
Are Trump, Democrats Too Trusting of Syria’s New Leader?
Ahmad al-Sharaa ‘is a different person than he once was,’ says Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff. Yet Sharaa’s actions do not always match his words.
Excerpt
Making concessions before negotiations have even started is not the usual way to get a good deal, whether in business or diplomacy. Yet before meeting at Riyadh with Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, President Trump had already announced that he would lift Washington’s comprehensive sanctions on Damascus.
Mr. Sharaa remains on both the United States’ and United Nations’ blacklists for terrorism thanks to the years he spent as the top Al Qaeda commander in Syria. Yet now the Syrian leader presents himself as an advocate of tolerance and inclusivity, and many foreign leaders believe his commitment is genuine.
David Adesnik is the vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.