Trump Finds His Terrorist-Turned-Head-of-State Soulmate
When Donald Trump says former al-Qaeda militant turned Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa 'had a rough past,' The Independent dutifully reports it, highlighting Sharaa’s $10 million US bounty. What they gloss over, however, is the cynical consistency in US foreign policy, where yesterday's 'terrorist' becomes tomorrow's 'partner' once they align with Washington's regional agenda. Remember when the
Mujahideen in Afghanistan were 'freedom fighters' against the Soviets? Or when Saddam Hussein was a US ally before becoming the 'new Hitler'? The playbook is etched in blood-soaked history: demonize, fund opposition, then re-brand the most pliable faction when it serves US interests to stabilize (or destabilize) a region. Sharaa, leading forces that toppled Bashar al-Assad, isn't an anomaly; he's
a feature of US realpolitik. So, Sharaa, the former head of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which severed ties with al-Qaeda in 2017—conveniently after years of US proxy funding for 'moderate rebels' in Syria—is now a 'young, attractive tough guy' to Trump. How quickly millions in bounty money become a bygone 'rough past' when a new regional strongman is needed. One might wonder if the 'rough past' of
US-backed coups and interventions ever gets the same charitable framing from mainstream outlets, or if that's reserved for those who ascend to power despite—or perhaps because of—their extremist bona fides. It's not a change of heart; it's a change of utility.