Syria, a (Former) Jihadist in Washington: What to Know about the Trump–Al-Sharaa Meeting

• Commentary Middle East and North Africa
  by Francesco Petronella
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The term "historic" has dominated Arab and international media coverage of the meeting between Donald Trump and Syria's president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa. In this case, the label is justified for two reasons. First, Al-Sharaa - who went by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani during his jihadist years - is the first Syrian president to enter the Oval Office since Syria gained independence from France in 1946. Second, the summit serves as an unmistakable and highly visible demonstration of U.S.-style realpolitik. Nearly a quarter-century after September 11, 2001, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate is now welcomed at the White House with full honors, despite accessing a meeting closed to the press through a secondary entrance, completing a rehabilitation process that began months ago and has been strongly supported by Trump himself.

The agenda is packed with major dossiers, primarily economic and security-related: the containment of the Islamic State (whose presence remains tangible, though dormant), through Damascus's announced decision to join the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition; the complete removal of sanctions imposed on Syria during the Bashar al-Assad era, with the State Department having announced a further 180-day suspension; and the turbulent relations between Syria and Israel, on which the broader regional realignment envisioned by the Trump administration depends.

A History of Highs and Lows

Trump's meeting with Al-Sharaa comes after nearly 80 years of U.S.-Syria relations marked by ups and downs, often influenced by Syria's difficult proximity to Israel. After World War II, Syria sought international recognition and joined the United Nations as a founding member. President Shukri Al-Quwatli aimed to strengthen ties with Washington, but the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict and U.S. support for Israel quickly hampered cooperation.

During the Cold War, Syria became a battleground between the United States and the Soviet Union. Its alliance with Gamal Abdel Nasser's Egypt, however, firmly aligned Damascus with Moscow. When the Ba'ath Party and Hafez Al-Assad rose to power in 1970, Syria maintained tense relations with Washington while attempting to play a diplomatic role in the Middle East.

President Richard Nixon's 1974 visit to Damascus, aimed at involving Syria in the post-Yom Kippur peace process, produced limited results. In the 1990s, under Bill Clinton, a partial thaw occurred: Clinton visited Damascus in 1994 and met with Hafez Al-Assad several times to explore peace with Israel, without success. After 2003, the U.S. accused Syria of supporting armed groups in Iraq and Lebanon, imposed sanctions, and relations hit a nadir following the 2011 Arab Spring. During the civil war, Washington backed political and military opposition forces, while Bashar Al-Assad - who fell in December 2024 - relied increasingly on Russian and Iranian support.

Containing the "Forgotten Enemy"

White House meeting was framed primarily around security cooperation. Syria has expressed willingness to join the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, which, although it lost its territorial caliphate in 2019, remains active in eastern Syria in cell-based networks. Reliable estimates suggest that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) currently hold around 50,000 ISIS prisoners, mostly women and children, in camps such as Al-Hol (housing 30,000-35,000 detainees).

These camps carry explosive potential. They act as incubators for extremism, with ISIS cells recruiting young people through propaganda and exploiting dire living conditions. For Al-Sharaa, this represents a major challenge. As former head of Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, he clashed violently with ISIS, culminating in open conflict between the two groups. Today, as a "moderate" president, he has adopted a pragmatic approach. In exchange for sanctions relief, the White House has tasked Damascus with preventing ISIS's resurgence and assuming responsibility for the detention centers.

Sanctions: Lift or Keep?

Monday marked the third Trump-Al-Sharaa summit, following their first meeting in Saudi Arabia in May and a brief encounter on the UN General Assembly sidelines in September. On both occasions, Al-Sharaa and his delegation focused on unblocking Syria's most pressing economic issue: sanctions. After the meeting in Riyadh, Trump announced plans to lift all measures. However, the toughest sanctions - known as the Caesar Sanctions Act - require congressional approval.

Al-Sharaa is actively lobbying for their removal, meeting reluctant politicians such as Republican Congressman Brian Mast of Florida. His goal, reinforced by talks with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, is to open Syria's long-closed, state-dominated economy and attract international investment to a country devastated by 14 years of war. According to World Bank estimates, rebuilding will require over $200 billion (compared to around $65 billion for Gaza).

Israel: A Bitter Pill

Syria's relations with Israel have always been central to its ties with the U.S., and Al-Sharaa's Washington visit is no exception. On the eve of the summit, Trump acknowledged: "I think he's doing a great job. It's a tough neighborhood." Since Assad's fall a year ago, Israel has repeatedly bombed Syria, including Damascus, and even carried out ground incursions in Quneitra and Daraa.

Both countries' authorities confirm ongoing U.S.-mediated negotiations aimed at a new security agreement, potentially paving the way for normalization. For Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized that the goal is demilitarizing southwestern Syria and securing the Druze population.

Al-Sharaa has worked to lower tensions and foster rapprochement, though he considers full normalization premature. Trump, for his part, has made clear that a Syria outside Iranian influence is a strategic win for the U.S. If Damascus can establish a modus vivendi with Israel, it aligns with Washington's objectives. The new Syrian administration has disrupted the Iranian supply corridor to its regional partners, especially Hezbollah, seizing multiple weapons shipments - actions that, intentionally or not, also serve Israeli interests. According to a Reuters scoop, the U.S. might even support a "definitive deterrent" by establishing a new airbase in Damascus, though the Syrian Foreign Ministry denies these reports. Negotiations, however, are certainly underway.

What to Expect

Al-Sharaa's Washington visit crowns a year of rebranding and public diplomacy. Yet Syria's greatest threats remain internal. The transitional government has prioritized international standing, traveling to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and meeting world leaders, including Trump. Domestically, the country still faces centrifugal forces: Alawites targeted in sectarian violence, Druze courted by Israel to weaken Damascus, Kurds seeking autonomy as a reward for their fight against ISIS, and finally, the rank-and-file jihadists who supported Al-Sharaa's rise. Unlike regional and Western governments, these militants reject his "moderate" shift and could challenge his precarious authority over the medium to long term.