US Welcomes General-Turned-President with 'Militant' Past
The New Arab announces former Syrian 'militant' leader Ahmed al-Sharaa's first White House visit, hailing him as Syria's new president and marking a 'new era.' Lost in the excitement, perhaps, is the fact that this 'militant' previously led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist militant group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department as recently as 2018. The same folks
who bomb 'terrorists' abroad now roll out the red carpet for their freshly minted 'president' – provided, of course, said 'president' aligns with current geopolitical interests. One might wonder if the definition of 'militant' depends less on actions and more on who's signing the checks or offering strategic advantage. The seamless transition from 'terrorist threat' to 'historical guest' suggests
a deeply cynical foreign policy. It's almost as if the U.S. government operates on a sliding scale of acceptable violence, where the only consistent variable is American leverage. So, when does a 'militant' stop being a 'militant' and start being a 'leader'? Apparently, when the White House needs a photo op.