Donald Trump on Wednesday met Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former Al Qaeda terrorist who is now the President of Syria. The meeting between the in Saudi Arabia in the presence of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has stirred quite the controversy on social media. Some see it as further evidence of the USA’s hypocrisy while others attribute it to Trump’s lack of principles. The real reason, however, is a heady mix of the two and a whole lot more.
Donald Trump meets US vassal
What has escaped the notice of many is that Ahmed al-Sharaa is a puppet of the United States. He was the leader of the rebel factions in the Syrian Civil War. The anti-Assad rebels were funded, trained and armed by the United States in its attempt to enforce a regime change in Syria. It is widely known now that most of these ‘rebels’ and ‘rebel groups’ were associated with terrorist organisations. In many cases, the ‘rebel groups’ were Al Qaeda and ISIS affiliates.
So the meeting between Donald Trump and Ahmed al-Sharaa is essentially one between a superpower and its vassal state. Friendly relations between the new Syrian regime and the USA were confirmed when sanctions on the war torn country were lifted soon after Ahmed al-Sharaa assumed the presidency. The results of the meeting further confirm that Syria is now a vassal state of the United States of America.
How the meeting benefits Syrians
Syrians will benefit immensely from the outcome of the meeting. The lifting of the sanctions will enable the Syrian Government to improve its economy, should they prioritise it. Furthermore, aid from western governments are likely to increase substantially in order to stabilise al-Sharaa’s hold in Syria. All of which will benefit Syrians immensely.
Syria will likely open up its economy to investment from American companies, that will provide significant employment opportunities for Syrians. But the biggest gain of them all is the end to Civil War and Conflict and the endless cycle of death and destruction. Syrians after more than a decade have an opportunity to build what they have lost. Of course, all of this depends on the magnanimity of a former terrorist. And it’s likely that things will get a lot worse for the non-Sunni Muslims in the country, especially the Alawites and the Christians. For the rest, however, it’s the most hopeful season in a long long time.
How USA and its allies will benefit from a friendly Syrian Govt
Apart from Syrians, Donald Trump is likely to benefit personally as well. There are multiple reports that claim that the Syrian Government has offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus. It will be a significant boost to the Trump Brand.
The United States will also benefit immensely. The Syrian Government has already invited American companies to invest in their oil and gas companies. There will also be a lot of opportunities for American real estate magnates as well.
Another obvious beneficiary is Turkey. Bashar al-Assad was the biggest hindrance towards Erdogan’s dreams of access to the Eastern Mediterranean and European markets through gas pipelines. Now that Assad is gone and an American puppet is in power, the possibility of gas pipelines between Turkey and the regions mentioned could seriously be on the table. It has the potential to provide a huge boost to Turkey’s economy.
Last but not the least, the country that benefits the most in terms of its national security is Israel. Donald Trump has already asked Ahmed al-Sharaa to deport all Palestinian terrorists and remove foreign terrorists from Syrian soil. Most significantly, he has asked the Syrian President to sign the Abraham Accords with Israel. Syria under Assad was once save haven for Hezbollah. For its part, Hezbollah played a significant role in ensuring Assad remained in power for as long as he did. That network has now been obliterated. With al-Sharaa in power, another of Israel’s enemies have been removed from the board.
The unorthodox politics of Donald Trump
It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that no other American politician in the 21st Century would have dared to meet a former Al Qaeda terrorist. A Democratic President certainly would never since optics is everything in the Democratic Party. The strategic objectives of the United States hardly differ between Republicans and Democrats but optics are prioritised vastly more by the latter.
Kamala Harris would have lifted the sanctions on Syria, would have insisted that Syria normalise relations with Israel, would have insisted that the Syrian Government open up its economy to American companies. But meet Ahmed al-Sharaa? Never in a thousand years. The same would hold true for Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom or any other Democrat.
So the real reason why Donald Trump met Ahmed al-Sharaa is to further confirm his image of a maverick who defies conventional norms in politics. He wanted to confirm his reputation as a person who does not care about optics or what the mainstream media and establishment politicians say about him. He wanted to confirm his reputation as someone who only cares about American interests and the welfare of its people.
Every move of his is a Public Relations campaign. The meeting in Saudi Arabia was no different. Everything that was accomplished yesterday could have been accomplished without the meeting. But it’s Donald Trump we are talking about here. And Trump wants to dominate conversations every day of every week of every month of every year.
