Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will deliver a historic Syria UN address on Wednesday, outlining a new path for the nation while seeking reconstruction aid and an end to sanctions.
Al-Sharaa’s Historic Syria UN Address
The speech marks a significant diplomatic moment. “This marks the first participation in high-level meetings of a Syrian president at the United Nations General Assembly since 1967, so this is a very big deal,” said Natasha Hall of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Al-Sharaa plans to signal a clear break from the past after toppling Bashar Assad’s regime in December 2024. Hall noted he will “emphasize and underline is that this is a new day for Syria” and discuss “progress that’s been made and what more progress needs to happen.“
According to a high-ranking Syrian official, his speech will address several key issues. These include “the need to lift all forms of unilateral sanctions,” combating terrorism, facilitating the return of displaced Syrians, and advancing “a genuinely inclusive political process.“
US Lifts Syria Sanctions, Trump Endorses Leader
The UN appearance follows a “charm offensive” to bring Syria out of international isolation. This effort included a key meeting in May between al-Sharaa and President Donald Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Following the meeting, Trump endorsed the Syrian leader, calling him a “young, attractive, tough guy.” In a major policy shift, the US lifts Syria sanctions as Trump and al-Sharaa discussed normalizing relations.
Barbara Leaf, a distinguished diplomatic fellow, met with al-Sharaa in Damascus and said he “came across as somebody who was very well-prepared.” She added, “I came to the sense that he was already making a shift from being a military commander to being a politician.“
Seeking Reconstruction Aid and Regional Stability
The new government faces an immense task in rebuilding the country after a 13-year civil war. The estimated cost for Syria reconstruction aid is between $250 and $400 billion, while the U.N. reports that 16.7 million people require humanitarian assistance.
To promote stability, al-Sharaa may seek a Syria Israel security pact and has vowed the nation will no longer be a staging point for threats. Just one month after taking power, his security forces seized a heavy ammunition shipment destined for Hezbollah, a former key ally of the Assad regime.
Ahmed al-Sharaa Islamist Governance Concerns Remain
Despite diplomatic outreach, significant Ahmed al-Sharaa Islamist governance concerns persist, given his past as a member of al Qaeda and leader of the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Former U.S.
Ambassador Robert Ford stated, “Al-Sharaa is not a democrat… he has put loyalists in place” in key government roles.
Ambassador Leaf questioned his long-term intentions, asking, “Does he want to formulate a kind of Islamist governance… And would he be willing to use force to get there?
That’s an unknown.”
The new government is performing a “careful balancing act” between different factions, said Caroline Rose of The New Lines Institute. She pointed to policies appeasing conservative elements, “such as the ruling requiring full-body swimwear at Syrian pools and beaches.“
However, Robert Ford also noted that “so far, there is more political freedom to speak and protest in Syria than in many other countries in the region.“
Sectarian Strife and the ISIS Threat
Deep ethnic and religious divisions continue to fuel violence across the country. A massacre in Latakia resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,400 people, mostly civilians, while clashes in Suweida between Bedouin tribes, Druze militias, and government forces killed hundreds.
In June, a suspected Islamic State suicide bombing at a Greek Orthodox church killed 22 worshipers.
A critical challenge for the new administration is the integration of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Failure to incorporate these forces, which have been crucial in the campaign against ISIS, risks a resurgence of the terrorist group in Northeast Syria.
