Taking stock of Syria, a year after the civil war ended | Explained News
A year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Syria faces multiple challenges as its terrorist-turned-statesman president picks up the pieces of 14-year-long civil war. Al-Sharaa’s rebranding Assad fled to Russia last December after a lightning rebel offensive, led by Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), overwhelmed his forces. HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly a sanctioned al-Qaeda terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head, took over as Syria President. Since coming to power, al-Sharaa has rebranded himself as a modern, soft-speaking, linen-suit wearing leader; last month, he became the first Syrian president in 80 years to visit the White House, where he received US President Donald Trump’s stamp of approval. “I think this leader can do it,” Trump said. Al-Sharaa has the unenviable task of leading a country that is fractured on ethnic lines and left economically impoverished by the lengthy civil war. While the establishment of the national commissions for Transitional Justice (NCTJ) and for Missing Persons earlier this year has been hailed as a welcome step, much more still needs to be done. Twin …
