Ahmed al-Sharaa takes control of a fragile Syria

By Palatinate Politics

A new year, a new dawn for Syria.

After rebel groups closed in on Damascus, it was reported on the 8th December that Syrian President Bashar as-Assad and his family had fled to Moscow. Leading the rebels was Ahmed al-Sharaa, the emir of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who now assumes the leadership of a country that has been in the midst of a brutal civil war since 2011. 

Whilst the fall of Assad is a significant step in moving to resolve the conflict, some Assad loyalists have elected to continue fighting; on Boxing Day, they ambushed and killed 14 soldiers from the HTS. Despite this, Syria moves into 2025 with an air of optimism and hope, as evidenced by the spectacular celebrations to bring in the New Year. But an underlying tone of uncertainty about the country’s future remains. 

The past of Syria’s new de facto leader is by no means without controversy, having previously been associated with the terrorist group al-Qaeda in Iraq. As a result, he was imprisoned by the American mission there from 2006-2011, having been listed as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist.’ Now, he serves as the principal negotiator in an attempt to alleviate American sanctions on his country that have been in place since 2004.

Elsewhere, Sharaa has been keen to gain support from the international community, receiving a European delegation composed of the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday 3rd, raising eyebrows when Sharaa snubbed the latter’s attempted handshake. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has so far declined to remove Syrian rebels from the UK terrorism list and the Foreign Secretary David Lammy has declared that the government ‘will judge HTS by their actions.’ Whilst Sharaa is evidently keen for allies abroad, he arguably should not be surprised that the immediate reaction to his takeover has been lukewarm. 

In an interview […] he stated his belief in education for women, and that he would convene a group of legal experts to draft the new constitution for Syria.

The rhetoric coming from Sharaa has nevertheless been positive, even if the West watches on with a hint of cynicism. In an interview with Jeremy Bowen for the BBC, he stated his belief in education for women, and that he would convene a group of legal experts to draft the new constitution for Syria. In the same interview, Sharaa also drew a clear dividing line between his government and that of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. His emphasis on rebuilding the nation will be well-received by many of its citizens, where between 580,000-620,000 have been killed to date. 

Somewhat controversially, he announced on Monday 6th that Syria requires at least a four-year transition period before elections can be held. Is this designed to stabilise the country for longer-term peace and security or simply a means to exchange one dictatorship for another? 

The question remains as to what kind of leader Sharaa will be. Perhaps more importantly, what kind of leader will the Syrian people accept after 53 years of longstanding censorship and oppression?

Such has been the situation in Syria for the past five decades. In 1970 General Hafez al-Assad led a coup d’état titled the ‘Corrective Movement’ and seized power, establishing a hereditary dynasty where his son Bashar assumed power upon his death in 2000. The now-ousted President had previously trained as a postgraduate ophthalmologist in London and married a British citizen, Asma, a former J.P. Morgan investment banker. Despite her citizenship, Mr Lammy has clearly stated that she is no longer welcome in the UK, by way of association with her husband’s regime.

One resident told the Guardian, “The tyrant is gone and the nightmare is done.” Indeed, after 13 years of a brutal civil war and the barbaric use of chemical weapons, few will mourn the previous regime’s collapse. The question now is, will the new regime be true to its word and manage the long-term rebuild of Syria? There are lots of questions, yet few immediate answers. Only time will tell if Syria’s new leader will indeed practise what he preaches.

Image: Vyacheslav Argenberg/ Wikimedia Commons