Syria's new president charms Trump
It’s not every day you hear a US president praising a former Al-Qaeda commander for his tough-guy past. But Donald Trump is, as we know, unpredictable.
“Young, attractive guy, tough guy. Strong past, very strong past. Fighter. He’s got a real shot at holding it together,” gushed Trump as he recounted his meeting in Saudi Arabia this morning with Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa. A man still on the US State Department’s list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”.
Trump’s tête-à-tête with al-Sharaa, during his second day touring the Gulf, is also the first time an American President has met with a Syrian leader in a quarter of a century.
It comes five months after al-Sharaa seized control of Damascus in a lightning offensive, ousting dictator Bashar al-Assad after 23 brutal years in power.
al-Sharaa joined Al-Qaeda after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, battling American troops, and, until a few months ago, had a $10 million US bounty on his head for his continuing ties to the jihadist group. However, he claims to have cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016 and he led the uprising as leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham - a group which, though an offshoot of al-Qaeda, he has worked hard to recast as part of the Syrian revolution rather than global jihad.
Since becoming Syria's de facto ruler in December 2024, he has promised to replace Assad's brutal police state with a just order and pledged tolerance for Syria’s different religious minorities, earning him a cautious welcome from the international community.
Trump insists his brief meeting with the Syrian President - in which he urged him to prevent the Islamic State’s resurgence, remove all foreign terrorists from Syrian soil and sign the Abraham Accords - went “great”.
The US President claims that al-Sharaa demonstrated interest in joining the Accords - an agreement to normalise relations with Israel - once Syrians “get themselves straightened up”. al-Sharaa is yet to comment himself.
Yet by far the most crucial development, as far as millions of Syrians are concerned, is the major US policy shift announced in the lead-up to the meeting: last night, Trump confirmed that he would be lifting all of the sanctions imposed on Syria during Assad’s brutal regime. A development accompanied by a typically unserious statement from the US President: “It’s their time to shine. We’re taking them all off. Good luck Syria, show us something very special.”
What prompted this gesture from Trump? According to several reports, al-Sharaa has taken a leaf out of Zelensky’s book and offered American companies exploration rights for Syria’s natural resources. He has also floated the idea of constructing a “Trump Tower” in Damascus. (What better way to ensure the lifting of a ban on US investments in Syria).
While al-Sharaa may be winning over the international community, he faces big challenges at home. Back in March, Assad loyalists attacked Syrian government forces, resulting in a wave of revenge killings in which Islamist gunmen targeted hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority, from which Assad hails. All of which suggests al-Sharaa may struggle to rein in sectarian violence, despite pledging to protect Syria’s minority groups.
But, as he attempts to bring unity to a war-torn, fractured country, the economic relief provided by the removal of US sanctions will give him a welcome boost.
Given the central role that Washington plays in the global financial system, US sanctions had been debilitating for Syria, presenting a huge impediment for the new government, under immense pressure to improve living standards in a country where an estimated 90 per cent of the population live in poverty.
US sanctions effectively isolated Syria from the global economy, cutting it out of the international banking system, blocking money transfers, restricting imports and barring activity by most international companies.
Syrians in the diaspora struggled to send money home and even wealthy Gulf states such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia couldn’t send financial aid without fear of punishment.
Against this backdrop, such a friendly meeting between al-Sharaa and Trump is good news for most Syrians. Less so for Iran.
Caitlin Allen
Deputy Editor
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