THE American embrace of the post-Assad Syrian regime is complete, with President Donald Trump meeting the Arab state’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday, and announcing that US sanctions against Syria will be lifted. It should be remembered that not too long ago, there was a $10m US bounty on Mr Sharaa’s head, when he was more popularly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the feared head of the Al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front. But in geopolitics there are ‘good’ militants and ‘bad’ militants, and to the Americans, the Syrian leader clearly falls in the former category. Mr Sharaa was instrumental in overthrowing Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime, which had long been a shared goal of the Americans, many states in Europe, as well as the Gulf Arabs. This effectively reversed the tide of Iranian and Russian influence in Syria. Therefore, the audience with Mr Trump, and the removal of sanctions, is a reward for the ex-militant’s ‘services’. Contrast this with the treatment meted out to the Afghan Taliban. The hard-line rulers of Kabul remain sanctioned by the US, and unrecognised by the global community. The Taliban are ideologically of similar stock as Ahmed al-Sharaa; but while the latter helped the US and West bring down a geopolitical foe, the former forced the US-led coalition to quit Afghanistan after a futile two-decade nation-building mission.

Mr Trump also asked the Syrian ruler to recognise Israel. However, there was no word of Israel vacating Syrian territory it has occupied for decades, including the Golan Heights, and more land it seized after the Assad government fell. It is indeed positive for sanctions to be lifted, and it is hoped that this helps bring relief to the Syrian people. But the selective rebranding and ‘dry-cleaning’ of those once labelled as terrorists by the West reeks of hypocrisy and self-interest. While Mr Sharaa has promised an inclusive state, he himself remains surrounded by extremist elements. Over the past few months, there have been bloody confrontations between pro-government fighters, and members of the Alawi and Druze communities. It would be a shame for the Syrian people if the Assad autocracy were to be replaced by an extremist state. Right now there are few signs that Damascus is on the path of inclusivity and progress, regardless of the newfound confidence the US has in Syria’s current rulers.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2025