Syria's President Hopes to Translate Global Support into Concrete Progress at Home.
In recent months, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been making headlines around the world for his high-profile diplomatic efforts. Since taking office on January 29th, Sharaa has embarked on a dizzying pace of international trips, meeting with leaders from the United Nations General Assembly to climate change conferences in Brazil and numerous Arab summits.
These overtures have yielded a significant amount of goodwill towards Syria's rebirth, with envoys from all 15 members of the UN Security Council visiting Damascus last week to mark the anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad. This display of unity has been particularly noteworthy, given that the issue of Syria has long been a contentious point among the council.
Despite this positive reception, the question on everyone's mind is whether Sharaa can translate this curiosity and goodwill into tangible results for the Syrian people. The country still faces significant challenges, including lifted sanctions, internal stability, and freedom from external meddling by Israel, Iran, or Turkey.
In a recent meeting with Donald Trump, the first US president to visit Damascus in over 70 years, Sharaa received an unusual amount of praise for his "tough guy" persona. While some have raised eyebrows at Trump's willingness to overlook Sharaa's complicated past, it is clear that the Syrian leader has won over at least one key player in the global community.
Sharaa's efforts to integrate Kurdish fighters into a unified Syrian army also deserve note, albeit with some caveats. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have long been seen as a valuable ally against extremist groups like ISIS, but their integration into the Syrian military has stalled due to Turkish pressure.
In short, while Sharaa still faces an uphill battle in restoring Syria's sovereignty, it appears that he may finally be on the right track. The international community is taking notice of his efforts, and it will be interesting to see how this momentum plays out in the coming months.
In recent months, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been making headlines around the world for his high-profile diplomatic efforts. Since taking office on January 29th, Sharaa has embarked on a dizzying pace of international trips, meeting with leaders from the United Nations General Assembly to climate change conferences in Brazil and numerous Arab summits.
These overtures have yielded a significant amount of goodwill towards Syria's rebirth, with envoys from all 15 members of the UN Security Council visiting Damascus last week to mark the anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad. This display of unity has been particularly noteworthy, given that the issue of Syria has long been a contentious point among the council.
Despite this positive reception, the question on everyone's mind is whether Sharaa can translate this curiosity and goodwill into tangible results for the Syrian people. The country still faces significant challenges, including lifted sanctions, internal stability, and freedom from external meddling by Israel, Iran, or Turkey.
In a recent meeting with Donald Trump, the first US president to visit Damascus in over 70 years, Sharaa received an unusual amount of praise for his "tough guy" persona. While some have raised eyebrows at Trump's willingness to overlook Sharaa's complicated past, it is clear that the Syrian leader has won over at least one key player in the global community.
Sharaa's efforts to integrate Kurdish fighters into a unified Syrian army also deserve note, albeit with some caveats. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have long been seen as a valuable ally against extremist groups like ISIS, but their integration into the Syrian military has stalled due to Turkish pressure.
In short, while Sharaa still faces an uphill battle in restoring Syria's sovereignty, it appears that he may finally be on the right track. The international community is taking notice of his efforts, and it will be interesting to see how this momentum plays out in the coming months.