US EditionTrump’s embrace of Syria and its jihadist-turned-president could shake up the Middle East
- US President Donald Trump met Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, marking the first meeting between US and Syrian leaders in 25 years.
- Al-Sharaa, formerly Abu Mohammed al-Jolani and once head of al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate Al Nusra Front, led a campaign six months earlier that toppled the Assad regime and expelled Iran-backed groups.
- During Trump's Middle East tour, he announced removing decades-old US sanctions on Syria and praised al-Sharaa as “a fighter” with a “very strong past,” while Syria described the meeting as historic.
- The announcement was met with a 40-second round of applause, during which Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rose to his feet, and led to a 27% increase in the value of Syria’s currency against the US dollar.
- The lifting of sanctions is expected to economically stabilize Syria but raises concerns over minority treatment amid ongoing regime crackdowns and requires justice for past abuses to avoid tacit regime approval.
25 Articles
25 Articles
The man with whom Donald Trump shook hands was once declared a global terrorist by the US—now the same man has become the acting president of Syria. The US has recognised him and lifted sanctions from Syria. Know the full story of this dramatic change.
Trump says US exploring normalizing relations with Syria
President Donald Trump said the U.S. would explore normalizing relations with Syria after the toppling of longtime autocrat Bashar Assad, adding to a pledge to lift sanctions against the country’s new government. Strengthening ties with Syria’s Islamist-led administration “gives them a good, strong chance” to recover after more than a decade of war that devastated the economy and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian and refugee crises…
Unpacking the geopolitical significance of Trump's embrace of Syria's new president
President Trump stopped in Qatar on his Middle East trip where he embraced a former jihadist who now leads Syria. Will Toddman, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins to discuss.
Ahmed al-Shara, Trump-rehabilitated ex-jihadist who has brought Syria out of international isolation
After 9/11 and the ensuing U.S. war on terror, it was unthinkable to see a U.S. president shaking hands with a leader on the list of State Department terrorists. But the international political situation is advancing to such frantic marches that even this taboo has been buried on Wednesday: Donald Trump received Ahmed al-Shara in Saudi Arabia, until recently known by his war name, Abu Mohamed al-Julani, former leader of Al Qaeda and the fundamen…
How Trump's meeting with Syria's new leader is a turning point for the war-torn nation
Day two of President Trump's tour of the Mideast brought with it the prospect of a new future for Syria. The president announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. Trump also met with Syria's interim president, a former jihadist who until recently had a $10 million U.S. bounty. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Mouaz Mustafa of the Syrian Emergency Task Force.
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