U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Nov. 10, 2025, at the White House in Washington, DC. (Credit: SANA/AFP)
He came to power in a country dominated by Russia and Iran and hosting a significant Turkish and American presence. With a bounty on his head, placed there by the U.S., the former jihadist faced the daunting task of piecing together a shattered, fragmented Syria, vulnerable to foreign ambition, and reconnecting it to the rest of the world.On this front, Ahmad al-Sharaa has largely succeeded. Within a year, he was invited to Riyadh, Ankara, Paris, Washington, and even Moscow. On the international stage, entirely new to him, he proved to be a particularly skilled player, fitting seamlessly into the transactional diplomacy of his era. One year on, the geopolitics of new Syria are taking shape: new friendships, openly pragmatic approaches, and persistent enmities.Turkey emerged as one of the big winners in Syria’s new landscape. Long a...
He came to power in a country dominated by Russia and Iran and hosting a significant Turkish and American presence. With a bounty on his head, placed there by the U.S., the former jihadist faced the daunting task of piecing together a shattered, fragmented Syria, vulnerable to foreign ambition, and reconnecting it to the rest of the world.On this front, Ahmad al-Sharaa has largely succeeded. Within a year, he was invited to Riyadh, Ankara, Paris, Washington, and even Moscow. On the international stage, entirely new to him, he proved to be a particularly skilled player, fitting seamlessly into the transactional diplomacy of his era. One year on, the geopolitics of new Syria are taking shape: new friendships, openly pragmatic approaches, and persistent enmities.Turkey emerged as one of the big winners in Syria’s new landscape. Long a...
Israel continues attacks on southern Lebanon, demolishes buildings in Bint Jbeil