Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Washington on Monday for a historic meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, marking the first time a Syrian leader has been welcomed at the White House. The visit comes just six months after the two met in Saudi Arabia and days after Washington removed Sharaa from its list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” capping a remarkable year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad.
Sharaa, 42, seized power last year when his Islamist fighters launched a swift offensive from their stronghold in northwest Syria, toppling Assad on December 8. Since then, Syria has undergone a dramatic realignment, shifting away from its traditional allies, Iran and Russia, and moving closer to Turkey, the Gulf states, and the United States. Security is expected to dominate the White House talks, as the U.S. brokers potential agreements between Syria and Israel and considers establishing a military presence at a Damascus airbase, Reuters reports.
The White House visit may also formalize Syria’s entry into a U.S.-led coalition to combat Islamic State, a step that would solidify the new government’s role as a partner in regional counterterrorism efforts. Ahead of the meeting, Trump praised Sharaa’s leadership, calling him “a tough guy” navigating “a tough neighborhood” and highlighting progress made in the past year.
A major focus of the visit is likely to be the repeal of remaining sanctions, particularly those imposed under the Caesar Sanctions Act, which still require Congressional approval. Sharaa is expected to press for their removal, a move that could encourage global investment in Syria, a country devastated by 14 years of war and in need of more than $200 billion for reconstruction, according to World Bank estimates.
Sharaa’s personal transformation has been as dramatic as Syria’s geopolitical shift. He joined al Qaeda in Iraq around the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and spent years in a U.S. prison before returning to Syria to fight Assad. Designated a terrorist by the United States in 2013 under his former name Abu Mohammad al-Golani, he broke ties with the group in 2016 and gradually consolidated power in northwest Syria. The U.S. removed a $10 million bounty on his head in December, and the United Nations Security Council recently lifted terror-related sanctions on him and Interior Minister Anas Khattab, followed by the U.S. and the UK.
“Sharaa’s visit to Washington is emblematic of the dramatic shift underway, where Syria went from being an Iranian satrapy to joining the American-led camp, and Sharaa himself transformed from a wanted terrorist to a partner in the war on terror,” said Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at Eurasia Group in New York. Maksad also cautioned that the experiment is fragile, with ongoing concerns about minority and individual rights and the country’s ability to govern for all Syrians after bouts of sectarian violence that have claimed more than 2,500 lives since Assad’s fall.
