📰 Al-Shaara’s recent diplomatic wins emboldened him to monopolize power

By Manish Rai In his maiden speech in the United Nations General Assembly, syria’s interim leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, called for lifting of international sanctions on Syria, becoming the first head of state from Syria to address the gathering in nearly 60 years. This signifies the first appearance of a syrian leader since Nureddin al-Atassi took office in 1967. Syrian President Sharra engaged in a series of bilateral discussions with global leaders during the General Assembly sessions, framing it as Syria’s revitalized diplomatic drive. Notably, since assuming office in December last year, Ahmad Al-Shaara has been conducting a diplomatic campaign. He successfully garnered substantial diplomatic backing from almost all principal stakeholders in the region.

Furthermore, in July of this year, the United States removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the official-calender/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Assyrian Organization rejects exclusion of Akitu Holiday from Syria’s official calender">organization commanded by Al-Shaara, from its designation as a “foreign terrorist organization. ” In May, he journeyed to Paris to confer with French President Emmanuel Macron and engage in discussions with senior Saudi Arabian authorities. The Arab League warmly welcomes the current Syrian regime. These initiatives illustrate the Al-Sharaa regime’s revitalized foreign efforts to reintegrate Syria into the global diplomatic framework. Nonetheless, the description is inaccurate; the aim of this diplomatic initiative is to validate Al-Sharaa as the exclusive leader of the nation. The regime’s objective is to solidify its dominance over a divided Syria by obtaining external recognition and legitimacy.

The regime seeks to persuade all ethnic and religious factions in Syria of its permanence and that it is advantageous for them to accept Al-Sharaa’s supremacy by securing the approval of foreign authorities. International recognition empowers the prevailing regime to monopolize and centralize power. latest significant decisions clearly demonstrate this. Al-Sharaa recently declared parliamentary “elections,” in which committees he designated will elect two-thirds of the parliament members. The current administration has dismantled the former police force. Instead, it has expanded Idlib’s General security apparatus, with recruitment proceeding at breakneck speed.

Priority is being given to young men from the three northern provinces (Idlib, Hama, Aleppo) where HTS sustains its backing base. Anas Khatab, the former administrative director of Jabhat al-Nusra, the antecedent of HTS, has been designated as the emerging head of Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate (GID). Syrian citizenship is being conferred upon foreign militants affiliated with HTS, who constitute around 20 to 30% of its troops. They have been integrated into the armed forces and are currently holding positions within the administration. The termination…