From Bounty to Brotherhood: What’s Next for Syria After the U.S Embrace of Ahmed al-Sharaa?

Geopolitics has always been a realm where alliances shift like sand in the wind, but few transformations have been as jarring as the one we just witnessed in Syria. The man once known to the world as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, feared leader of the Al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front, has now stepped onto the global stage with a new identity: Ahmed al-Sharaa, interim leader of Syria—endorsed, welcomed, and legitimized by none other than former U.S. President Donald Trump in a formal meeting in Riyadh.