From Foe to Friend: Repairing Syria, One Parley at a Time

Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa meets with American President Donald Trump. Courtesy of Al Jazeera.

On November 8, 2025, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited the United States ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly meeting. This marked the first time a Syrian head of state visited the White House since the nation’s independence from French colonial rule 80 years prior.

Ahmad al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, is the interim president of Syria. He was sworn in after the ousting of former president Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown in a military coup in December of 2024 by a coalition of Syrian rebel groups who opposed Assad’s regime. 

Assad’s regime had been in control of Syria since 1971 and began with his father, Hafez al-Assad, who served as president before him. Both father and son were members of the Ba’ath party, which originally advocated for Arab nationalism and secular values. The Ba’ath party initially drew support for its anti-imperialist platform, particularly through its opposition to U.S. influence. However, the rise of dictators like Assad and Saddam Hussein who ruled with an iron fist and espoused Ba’athist rhetoric caused the party to be despised among Arab citizens.

In December of 2024, after 53 years of the autocratic Assad regime, rebels swiftly took over the country in a matter of just 10 days. The country was unstable due to a 13-year civil war that started in 2011 after the Arab Spring, and, following the success of protests in Egypt that expelled president Hosni Mubarak, protesters in Syria began to similarly resist  Assad's rule — even if it meant they would have to pay in blood. In response, Assad shelled and bombed civilians to maintain his grip on Syria and continued to monopolize sectarianism to garner support from religious minorities, furthering the religious divide. 

Syria's visit to Washington D.C. is extremely important for its economic future, as international sanctions have driven the nation into debt, and a decade of war and instability have deprived it of the financial infrastructure to rebuild. The original sanctions date back to the beginning of the Assad regime, and more were applied in 2004 and 2011 after the start of the Syrian civil war. Sharaa’s visit to the US is historic, as he is trying to negotiate a removal of sanctions on Syria —  efforts critical to restoring Syria's economy.

Ahmad al-Sharaa’s roots are complicated. In 2016, he took control of the Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate, Jabhat al Nusra, and severed ties with the jihadist organization. He then merged Jabhat al Nusra with three other organizations to form  Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), a new Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group. 

HTS brought the Syrian civil war to an end by launching a lightning offensive that overthrew Assad and forced him into exile in Russia. HTS and Sharaa were both designated as terrorists by the United States until December of 2024, when … . The United States also removed the $10 million bounty on Sharaa’s life. These developments were steps towards progress for Syria, as both nations began to repair ties.

Both Syria and the United States have their own goals for their burgeoning relationship. For Syria, removing sanctions would allow the nation to return to the global financial system. Additionally, Sharaa is asking for funding for reconstruction efforts, as many neighborhoods in cities like Homs and Aleppo were shelled and reduced to rubble during the Syrian civil war. The World Bank estimates that $216 billion is needed to rebuild the country. 

The United States, on the other hand, is hoping to convince Syria to join the coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). They are also hoping to expand the Abraham Accords, a deal for brokering peace between Israel and other Arab nations. Syria will most likely join the coalition against ISIL, but normalization with Israel may not occur so easily. Syria is not willing to shake hands with Israel, as they have their own grievances — for instance, the Golan Heights of Syria is currently occupied by Israel. In late January of 2026, Israel joined the ‘Board of Peace,’ a US-led initiative by president Donald Trump to formally end the war in Gaza. For Sharaa, Gaza is also a contentious subject as Syrians have long supported Palestinian resistance despite the Assad regime's attempts at suppressing it.

Sharaa’s visit to the United States is hopeful for Syria as Congress plans to repeal sanctions that have devastated the country for decades. Sharaa’s diplomacy efforts and attempts to reconstruct a country that currently sits in rubble reveal a new stage in Syria's development post-Assad. With the fall of the Assad regime, the nation is vulnerable to actors who may try to take advantage of the fragile peace in the country — forging a relationship with the U.S. is more important than ever, and Sharaa’s actions will determine the fate of millions in the country.