Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets the Syrian American community in Washington, D.C., November 2025, joined by FM Asaad al-Shaibani and Amb. Thomas Barrack.Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa relied on an unprecedented foundational idea to shed the label of terrorism, one that he devised and theorized among members of his organization, many of whom came from extremely violent jihadist backgrounds. This idea involved shifting the locus of Islamic jihad from its global form, widely recognized after the September 11 attacks in New York and their repercussions, which posed a threat that made the designation of jihadist movements on UN Security Council terrorism lists almost automatic in global decision-making circles, to the concept of local jihad against forces of dictatorship and tyranny. This transformation recast jihad as a framework for national liberation and an instrument of internal change.
How al-Sharaa Freed Himself from the Terrorism Label
Throughout its existence and successive transformations, Jabhat al-Nusra strictly adhered to this policy from its founding. No military action against American or European interests has ever been recorded in its history. This well-known record within U.S., British, and European intelligence circles contributed to granting President Trump what amounted to “turbine power” in lifting sanctions on President al-Sharaa and the new Syrian government.
Gradual Regional Consolidation of Syrian Sovereignty
Over the past year, President al-Sharaa successfully employed regional diplomacy to consolidate Syrian sovereignty since his entry into Damascus as a conqueror, following the erosion of most elements of Syrian state sovereignty during the era of Bashar al-Assad.
Al-Sharaa first succeeded in quickly gaining the trust of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia came to view the new Syria as a strategic victory for Saudi diplomacy in confronting Iranian expansion. Accordingly, the Saudi Crown Prince worked to neutralize any negative role by the UAE in Syria. Al-Sharaa also gained the trust of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who, together with Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad, worked to secure a broad pathway for al-Sharaa to U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump received the shift in the Syrian file with a highly positive spirit under the new leadership, despite the heavy burden of the dossier and the shock felt in American and European decision-making circles at al-Sharaa’s rise to power in Damascus.
During the events in Suwayda, the new Syria succeeded in leveraging the contributions of the Gulf states, Jordan, and the United States to consolidate Syrian sovereignty in the south, compel Israel’s compliance, and reduce its influence to a minimum among the southern population.
“Fight and Negotiate” Diplomacy
In the ongoing events, from the Battle of Aleppo to the operations removing the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are penetrated by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), combat tactics were paired with effective diplomacy through the application of the “fight and negotiate” theory. This approach was originally applied during the Geneva negotiations in the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s, under President Richard Nixon and the direct supervision of Henry Kissinger (National Security Advisor and later Secretary of State).
“From Aleppo to the SDF, Syria combined decisive military action with diplomacy, using the historic ‘fight and negotiate’ strategy first applied in Vietnam under Nixon and Kissinger.”
Moustafa Alsaied
We witnessed its application in the Aleppo neighborhood battles, which the SDF intended as a trial by fire to test the American alignment in Syria, to determine the true position of the U.S. government between the SDF and the Syrian government.
The SDF lost the city of Aleppo, the center of gravity of the Syrian economy. Since the fall of the Assad regime, Aleppo had been held hostage to the whims of SDF snipers, men and women, who terrorized civilians in surrounding neighborhoods, turning the area into a day-and-night nightmare for residents.
Rapid, Consecutive Strategic Losses
Subsequently, the SDF lost the entirety of Raqqa province, Deir ez-Zor, and parts of Hasakah province in swift withdrawals, despite massive fortifications and extensive tunnel networks dug beneath cities and villages, abandoned, it appears, under unannounced American pressure. Notably, the territories vacated by the SDF were predominantly Arab in population, while most influential SDF leaders belong to the PKK and hold Iranian and Turkish citizenships.
“The SDF quickly abandoned Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Hasakah, mostly Arab areas, under apparent U.S. pressure, while PKK-linked leaders with Iranian and Turkish ties retained control.”
Moustafa Alsaied
Extension of the Ceasefire Agreement
It is evident that extending the deadline from four days to fifteen cannot be considered a mere “logistical delay,” but rather a major surgical operation to reshape northern Syria away from the spotlight. Ankara faces a significant challenge in pressuring Mazloum Abdi to isolate or deport PKK-linked leaders in exchange for granting him a nominal form of self-administration. Reports indicate that success in neutralizing the hardline faction during this period will be decisive; otherwise, Turkish intervention will be imminent.
Iraq and Arrangements Regarding ISIS
Regionally, al-Sharaa’s government also coordinated with Iraq, in cooperation with the United States, to transfer 7,000 of the most dangerous ISIS members to secret locations before the Syrian government took control of the prisons. The extension of the deadline served as a temporal shield to protect this sensitive intelligence operation. These developments coincided with internal unrest in Iran, enabling Turkey, Russia, and the United States to impose a new reality in Syria that would definitively curtail the influence of Iranian militias.
“Al-Sharaa’s government, with Iraq and U.S. support, secured 7,000 ISIS members in secret locations, using a strategic deadline extension to protect intelligence operations and curb Iranian militia influence amid regional unrest.”
Moustafa Alsaied
Regional Arrangements to Strengthen Syrian Sovereignty
In conclusion, it can be said that al-Sharaa’s government succeeded in organizing the regional environment to expand its sovereignty and internal unity through deep regional arrangements that engage neighboring states in safeguarding Syrian sovereignty along its borders and at crossing points with adjacent countries.
