Jack Dennison-Thompson: Syria’s al-Sharaa, the West’s Dangerous Gamble

Syria has long been an outsider to the West, a country that has been sanctioned heavily and kept at a distance from the glamorous politics of the Western world.

Yet now, in 2025, the leader of the free world is shaking hands with the new face of Syria, whose extensive background includes engaging in torture, kidnapping and murder, but he has got a nice new suit on.

This handshake was portrayed as the start of a rebuilding economy in Syria as Trump announced on his Gulf tour the removal of sanctions which were placed on Syria, yet in reality it is proof that looks are what matter, as a clean shave and a fresh suit seem to have forgiven any crimes or past beliefs of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, whose real name is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

This shape-shifter of a leader is no peaceful freedom fighter but a despicable terrorist who openly celebrated the 9/11 attacks. Though he did not stop at simple remarks, the man took his beliefs into action as part of an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, the Nusra Front, a designated terrorist organisation by the US. Then his final movements saw him as the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which now runs most of the government.

The West has now rushed into normalising relations with Syria through a simple image change, as they ignore the past of this “young, attractive guy”, as Trump describes him.

As usual the US leads the rest of the West as the EU is now looking to lift sanctions on Syria, yet what has changed so drastically in this last week that a man who has had to change his name for his past affiliations is now a reputable leader who deserves the full backing of the Western world?

European foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on the 20th of May claimed the EU is looking to end the sanctions imposed upon Syria to improve jobs and livelihoods of the Syrian people, to create a more “stable country”.

It seems this follows on from Trump’s Gulf tour, and the EU has not yet managed to form its own opinion on the situation. Perhaps they could have postponed the removal of sanctions while they conduct further diligence to ascertain whether this new leader is truly capable of stabilising the country and is a genuinely good man.

Instead, the EU and the West have, with complete naivety, followed the leadership of Trump, whose opinion on any matter can change with a simple post on the X platform.

“Forget the fact that the man was once part of al-Qaeda—he’s been on the rest is politics podcast, so I guess that’s as much of a seal of approval as one can get in today’s political realm.”

Yet this media rehabilitation was marked by sectarian violence, which ripped through the northwestern region and saw over 1,000 people murdered under the new pro-government militias. This included the attacks on the Alawite community, who have been particularly fearful of the new regime, as the minority has clashed with the HTS in the past.

Al-Sharaa has claimed that he wants an end to sectarian violence, and just after the attack, he came out claiming those responsible would face the consequences. Yet the killing of civilians took place over two months ago, and the last that was heard was that he had extended the “investigation” of the case.

However, in a BBC interview, a man accused of participating in the attack claimed that the group responsible for the attacks was monitored by the government and instructed not to harm civilians.

Syria is not simply a country waiting for good governance—it’s a patchwork of religious and ethnic groups who fundamentally distrust each other. Alawites, who dominated under Assad, now face revenge attacks. Christians fear Islamist rule. Druze communities are already under assault. Al-Sharaa represents the Sunni Arab majority, and his vision of Syria likely has little room for equal rights for these minorities.

Though the naivety of the West to back this controversial character so early lies not just in falling for his ability to pick out a clean suit, but in how the expectations that the West will put on him are likely to be what ruptures any stability he could bring to the country.

The West’s demands make al-Sharaa’s task impossible. America wants him to normalise relations with Israel, the same country bombing Syrian territory. This is the same man who, when asked about September 11, said “anybody in the Arab or Islamic world who said he wasn’t happy would be lying to you, because people felt the injustice of the Americans in their support of the Zionists, their policies towards Muslims in general, and their clear and strong support of the tyrants in the region.” Washington expects him to suddenly embrace the very “Zionist” state he once despised.

This is not so easy for al-Sharaa, as the web of powers in Syria is widespread, and finding this balance is where al-Sharaa will bring stability. Any movement or action to one group could shift the country into another civil war.

So much so that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, less than a week on from Trump’s backing, has called for further aid to Syria as he believes that another civil war could break out at any moment.

Has the West learned nothing from Iraq, Libya, or Afghanistan? Once again, they’re betting that cosmetic changes—suits instead of fatigues, media interviews instead of battlefield videos—signal genuine transformation. But sectarian hatreds run deeper than wardrobe choices, and Syria’s fractures cannot be healed by a former terrorist with good PR.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Maghrebi.org. Jack Dennison-Thompson is a journalist based in London, working for Maghrebi.org. He can be followed on X at @Jackdt26.

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