Al-Sharaa's Damascus Regime: Is Sharaa Really Doing All He Can or Was President Trump Set Up?
by Lawrence A. Franklin • September 12, 2025 at 5:00 am
The Trump administration will likely pressure Sharaa's regime not to threaten Syria's Kurds, who make up a large portion of the pro-US Syrian Democratic Army in northeast Syria.
Sharaa might also have to count on the US to resist pressure from his benefactor Turkey, which may be urging him to target Syria's Kurds.
The question, however, remains if Sharaa is actually doing all he can to "protect all minorities" as he promised, or did Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, in pressuring US President Donald Trump to give Sharaa a chance to govern, set Trump up?
Is Sharaa truly on a path to joining the Western alliance, or is he really just a terrorist in a suit and tie?
One of the most unheralded geopolitical developments in the Middle East, following Israel's military victories over regional enemies, is Israel's diplomatic reaction to the new regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa (aka Abu Mohammad al-Jolani) in Syria. Recent meetings in Paris between high-level Israeli and Syrian diplomats have reportedly resulted in a de-escalation of tensions as well as in establishing significant security improvements for Israel along its border with Syria.
