President Sharaa’s Trip scored one goal missed two!

Behind the flood of images showing Syrian President Ahmad Shar’a with world leaders in New York—inside UN headquarters and even with the leader of the great power, Trump—the most prominent truth emerges: the Syrian government has secured international recognition as the sole representative of the Syrian Arab Republic.

With this recognition, various parties inside and outside Syria lost their only argument against the president—his legitimacy to represent the Syrian people—since he assumed office without elections and solely through military control.

This legitimacy now extends to the constitutional declaration ratified by Shar’a after internal dialogue, the government he appointed, and the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for October 5.

Neither the SDF, nor Hajri, nor remnants of Assad can now claim a lack of legitimacy in the current government’s representation of the country, nor demand its replacement—at least not before the end of the transitional period.

Only one country and its leadership, which has been rampaging across the region since October 7, 2023, stands in the way of this legitimacy: Israel and Netanyahu.

Although one of the trip’s goals, according to observers, was to sign a security agreement with Israel to halt its attacks on Syria and withdraw from territories it occupied after Assad’s fall, Reuters reported today that the deal collapsed after Israel made a last-minute demand for a “humanitarian corridor” to Suwayda. The Syrian government categorically rejected this, calling it a “blatant” violation of sovereignty. This opens the door to escalating attacks and Hajri’s stubborn push for secession, backed by direct Israeli military support—without any Syrian military response, as the government fears renewed sanctions, which already have not been fully lifted.

Another goal of Shar’a’s trip and his meeting with President Trump was to lift the U.S. Caesar sanctions. Trump did all he could to lift the sanctions within his authority—many of which are old—but the harsh Caesar sanctions (which were among the reasons for Assad’s regime paralysis) fall under congressional authority. Congress is divided between two proposals: unconditional full lifting or conditional full lifting. Syrian-American sources indicate the latter is expected by the end of 2025.

The devastated country witnessed an unprecedented wave of memorandums of understanding and Arab and foreign investment projects, allowing billions of dollars to flow into its reconstruction-starved veins. Among them are American companies entering the Syrian market for the first time or offering partial services within it. Yet Caesar remains a psychological barrier to full economic openness.

Thus, the goals of President Shar’a’s trip to the United Nations can be summarized as follows:

- Gaining international legitimacy, which was achieved in an unprecedented and indisputable manner.

- Completing the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria, which remains pending until the end of 2025.

- Reaching a security agreement with Israel to ensure partial stability that would allow for reconstruction, reunification, and revival of a population—90% of whom live below the poverty line, according to UN statistics. This goal remains suspended, awaiting mediation or pressure on one of the parties—expected to be Syria, as it is militarily weaker.

Moumin sawady