February 10, 2025 - 2:00pm
Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa has claimed that Donald Trump could “play a big role in achieving global peace”.
Speaking to presenters Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell on their podcast Leading, the transitional President said that “Trump has brought a positive message” so far and could be a key player in stemming global conflict, especially if he ends the Ukraine war.
When asked what he thought of the US President, Sharaa said: “He is focused on domestic policy [and] revitalising the US economy. He’s also interested in peacebuilding in the Middle East as it has caused quite a bit of instability over the last two decades. It’s a promising start.”
Sharaa’s Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ousted Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December and Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, has kickstarted a moderating effort both politically and personally. He has condemned the previous regime’s sectarian brutality and has set up a new transitional parliament which he claims will lead to elections within four years. For the interview with Stewart and Campbell, Sharaa wore a suit and tie in a marked change from his previous trademark military garb.
While speaking warmly of Trump’s credentials for establishing peace, Sharaa was less supportive of the US leader’s controversial comments about “clearing out” Gaza and turning it into the “Riviera” of the Middle East. “I believe no power can drive people from their land. Many countries have tried to do it and they have all failed, especially during the recent war in Gaza,” Sharaa said. “The people endured pain, killing and destruction yet they refused to leave their land. It would be neither wise nor morally or politically right for Trump to lead an effort to force Palestinians out of their land.”
In the wide-ranging interview, Stewart remarked on the turn of fate that had led to the interview with the former al-Qaeda member. In 2003, as Tony Blair’s communications chief, Campbell was central to the decision to invade Iraq and the resultant planning, while Stewart was working as a diplomat in the region. Sharaa, conversely, was an Islamist rebel in Iraq who was ultimately captured and arrested by US forces.
Just as he spoke of Trump as a peacemaker, Sharaa gestured that he aims to play a similar role in Syria and the Middle East. He said that Syria’s violent revolution had ended with the toppling of Assad and that it was time to rebuild the nation. He added that he was focusing now on “economic development, striving for regional stability and security […] and establishing strategic relationships” with Western countries.
“I believe that a revolutionary mindset cannot build a country,” Sharaa claimed. “You need a different mindset.”
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SubscribeWell he is certainly more intelligent than Campbell or Stewart.
I’d like to see what he does- and give rights to women!! And will he ‘prove’ to the world that he/his followers will no longer attack women; let them study; let them travel; let them in a nutshell’ be free’…
Will he clap down on his own murderers — this is just a few of the things he must do if he wants anyone in the west to really take him seriously and first of all President Trump……
He’s a hardcore jihadi ffs … he started Nursa Front! He’ll milk the naive west for as much as he can then turn Syria into a medieval quagmire for decades.
Yeah and Trump’s a hardcore felon, so what? Assad already did that to Syria.
When death/evil confronts you—whether from outsiders or against your own people—you have two choices: either become the destruction yourself or integrate and seek clarity. For now, I’m holding my breath—I want to see whether he’s speaking to manipulate us or if he has something real to back it up.
I don’t trust a Taliban member addicted to chewing opium since birth unless they prove their words with actions.
Interesting. I certainly hope for the best for Syria’s reconstruction and renewal.
Trump might just end up going down in history as a peacemaker…and probably the first one in history whose enemies were convinced was going to start WW3.
Still can’t bring myself to try out this Campbell-Stewart podcast.
I listened to two episodes some years ago. Billed as “two sensible people disagreeing with each other amicably” -But actually it’s just two blokes who agree with each others viewpoint on everything and hate Brexit . Apparently Dominic Cummings was originally slated as the foil for Campbell instead of Stewart
– that might actually have been worth a listen.
I believe al-Sharaa is smarter than the average Mo. He has identified that the way to deal with Trump is by praise and at the same time assertive engagement. The Donald will enjoy dealing with him and it will help the former in his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize. History is littered with revolutionaries and aggressive conservatives who went on to lead their people to peace and prosperity. It will be interesting to see Trump’s first move now that al-Sharaa has discarded his weapons and signalled engagement.
When thinking of Syria, I see miles of bombed out rubble and the erasure of thousands of years of a rich cultural history. In Max Mitchell’s coverage of this interview, al-Sharaa conveys an exhaustion with war, and if this can be believed, he has considered that a Syrian future requires huge investments, and conversely, that it’s future can vanish as quickly as its past.
I hope this fellow is successful in bring peace and stability to his country. It’s preferable to war and destruction in most cases. Hopefully he will follow through on his promises of moderation, but it’s just as likely he’s simply playing for sympathy from whatever gullible journalist will give him a platform and handouts from any government with more compassion than wisdom. He probably thinks that by flattering Trump, he can manipulate the man into helping Syria somehow. I doubt it works but it’s surely better than the approach of the many governments that are forcing confrontations that they have no hope of winning in a futile attempt to preserve the old order and their own political power. Really the US has no business in the Middle East at all, and I hope Trump’s comments about Gaza are just blowing smoke to occupy the media’s attention.
He’ll be singing a different tune soon enough. The Israelis are already nibbling at Syria in the south and I wouldn’t be surprised if they took another bite or two in preparation for a war with Iran.
Trump, now officially Israels “greatest friend”, will likely either pretend to not notice, or even encourage this.
I’m not holding my breath for peace in the near east and I think it’d be naive to expect it blossoming from a regime that started as an offshoot of Al Qaeda.
Loathsome, fanatical, dishonest,responsible for thousands of deaths: how dare Campbell remain in public life!