Lifting sanctions on Syria is Al Qaeda’s dream come true

The U.S.A.’s Longest “Democracy” Project in Syria Has Resulted in the Empowerment of Al-Qaeda - CovertAction Magazine

Part 1 of a series exposing the farce of so-called U.S. “democracy promotion” If Americans know anything about U.S. involvement in Syria, they probably think of the recent Syrian Civil War (2011 to 2024). However, U.S. intervention in Syrian affairs goes back almost to Syrian independence from French colonialism in 1946. These U.S. interventions in […] The post The U.S.A.’s Longest “Democracy” Project in Syria Has Resulted in the Empowerment of …

Lifting sanctions on Syria is Al Qaeda’s dream come true

Syria should return to the community of nations, but such rehabilitation must be based on the reality of its actions, not the rhetoric of a single leader. By Michael Rubin, Middle East Forum President Donald Trump met today with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the interim president of Syria who, less than six months ago, had a $10 million bounty on his head for his earlier actions as the Al Qaeda’s branch head in Syria. Trump’s willingness to meet al-Sharaa sh…

Lifting sanctions on Syria is Al Qaeda’s dream come true – analysis

President Donald Trump met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president and former Al Qaeda branch leader, who until recently had a $10 million bounty on his head. Trump’s decision to engage al-Sharaa aligns with his history of bold, controversial diplomacy. During his first term, he met North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, whom he called “rocket man,” in Singapore and the Korean DMZ, and negotiated with the Taliban. Both efforts backfired: North Korea…

al-Shaara and His Fragile Peace

© European Union, 1998 – 2025, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons Ordinary Times was nice enough to let me expound on Syria immediately after the fall of Bashar al Assad in December of 2024. Here was my assessment of what was possible. It’s available here and you as the reader can judge how realistic it was and may still be. Abu Mohamed Jolani was always Amehd Hussein al-Shaara. But for all his sins, his gripes and grievances that led him to the…

Syria Reopens for Business DP World Signs $800mn Port Deal Amid U.S. Sanctions Shift | The Middle East Observer

The UAE’s logistics giant DP World signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Syrian government to develop and manage a multi-purpose terminal at the port of Tartous, with the deal valued at $800 million, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA. The announcement came within hours of a historic U.S. policy reversal, as former […]

When he was an Al Qaeda militiaman in Iraq, the U.S. military stopped him. As the leader of a group fighting in the Syrian civil war that Washington had described as a terrorist, a $10 million reward was offered for his head.