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Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, speaks to the media in December 2024.
Syria’s leader declared president, constitution scrapped
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was on Wednesday declared president by a group of top military commanders.
The current constitution was suspended, and al-Sharaa was authorized to form a “temporary” legislative council to govern during a transitional period before elections are held.
The duration of this “transitional period” has not been specified. Al-Sharaa, who led the campaign to topple the Assad regime two months ago, has previously suggested that writing a new constitution and holding elections could take between three and four years.
The big question: The move provides some clarity about the power structures that will govern Syria as it seeks to rebuild its economy and society after decades of dictatorship and more than a dozen years of civil war.
But it heightens the focus on al-Sharaa’s intentions. Skeptics have wondered about his commitment to establishing a pluralistic society in a country marked by sectarian and ethnic divisions. His background is, after all, as a jihadist fighter whose organization, the al-Qaida offshoot Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, remains on the US terrorism list.
In recent years, he has styled himself as a statesman, dropping his nom de guerre, swapping fatigues for suits, and calling for good government.
Now his power has been made official. How will he use it?
EU rolls back Syria sanctions for economic rebound
Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, shares his perspective on European politics from Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Is the European Union opening up to cooperation with the new government or regime in Damascus?
Yes, they are gradually. The foreign minister of the European Union took the decision early this week to start to ease sanctions on Syria that have been in place for years. And that is very important in order to start to get the economy going in the country. And that, of course, is very important in terms to start addressing all of the humanitarian needs. And also, eventually getting the economy going so that at some point in time perhaps people can start to move back to the country that they were forced to flee from during the years of civil war and repression.
Why was the prime minister of Serbia sacked?
That was part of a bigger move, defensive move, you can say by the president, by President Vučić. He has been under intense pressure due the last few months. There was an accident in Novi Sad, the second-biggest city that was blamed on the roof fell in, and that was blamed on bad construction and corruption. That has crystallized massive opposition to his regime, which has been there for a long time and is seen as increasingly authoritarian. So, pressure has been building up and he was now forced to concede sacking the prime minister and announcing new elections in April. So new elections in April in Serbia. There will be elections in Kosovo before that. There will be elections also in Albania. So, a lot of things are in flux in the Southern Balkans.
Assad's fall in Syria creates both opportunities & risks, says US national security advisor Jake Sullivan
When Assad fled Syria, shocking the world, President-Elect Trump made his thoughts clear on the region. In short, he said "stay out, America." But can the world's most powerful nation afford to ignore Syria's uncertain future? This is a good news story, says US national security advisor Jake Sullivan, that could turn bad very quickly.
"The minute Damascus fell, ISIS began to look for any opportunity it could take to reconstitute, grow, spread, and ultimately recreate a platform from which to threaten the United States and Americans around the world."
Speaking on stage with Ian Bremmer at a live 92nd Street Y taping of GZERO World in New York City, Sullivan discussed what comes next for the war-ravaged nation. "Assad was a butcher, a brutally murderous dictator of his own people. Him being gone is not a bad thing—it presents an opportunity for the Syrian people to actually build a better and more inclusive future." And while that's a reason for hope, the dangers are real that bad actors could rush to fill the vacuum.
"Syria has a real and extent risk of becoming a primary hotbed of radical Islamic terrorism, but it also has a chance for stability. We must push toward opportunity while minimizing the risks."
Watch the full interview with Jake Sullivan on GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on US public television beginning Friday, December 20. Check local listings.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
Jake Sullivan on the biggest threats to US national security in 2025
From Russia to China to the Middle East, what are the biggest threats facing the US? On GZERO World, outgoing National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan joins Ian Bremmer in front of a live audience at the 92nd Street Y in New York City for a wide-ranging conversation on America’s view of the world, President Joe Biden’s foreign policy legacy, and how much will (or won’t) change when the Trump administration takes office in 2025. Despite major differences between the two administrations, Sullivan says he’s seen “more alignment” with his successor Mike Waltz than he expected and that they agree on “big ticket items” like making sure US adversaries don’t take advantage of the US during the presidential transition. Reflecting on his time and office and how the global threat environment has changed, Sullivan digs into risks and opportunities in Syria, the US-Israel relationship, China’s global ambitions, and Putin’s miscalculations in Ukraine.
“The Cold War era is over. There's a competition underway for what comes next. It is challenging. It is at times turbulent,” Sullivan warns, “What the United States has to do is try to strengthen its fundamental hands so it can deal with whatever comes next and there will be surprises.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
- How Trump 2.0 could reshape US foreign policy, with the New York Times' David Sanger ›
- US and China set up back-channel meetings as pressure over Yemen grows ›
- Sullivan trip sets up Biden-Xi call ›
- Putin isn't winning in Ukraine, says US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan ›
- EXCLUSIVE: An Interview with outgoing US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan ›
Trump can't "stay out" of Syria entirely, says Kim Ghattas
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer and Beirut-based journalist Kim Ghattas discuss the aftermath of Assad’s fall in Syria and how an incoming Trump administration will approach it.
As the region braces for a pivotal transition or a power vacuum, the conversation centers on the delicate balance between America First and the necessity of being a part of the conversation in one of the most contested regions in the world.
“There’s a difference between supporting a country and having a military intervention,” Ghattas explains, emphasizing that Syrians must lead their own rebuilding process. While President Biden’s administration has signaled its willingness to recognize Syria’s transitional government under conditions respecting freedoms and minority rights, Ghattas acknowledges the complexities of working with groups like HTS. “They are saying all the right things… but we should trust Syrians to push back if HTS tries to impose Islamic rule on Damascus,” she notes.
Ghattas interprets Trump’s position—“this is not our fight”—as a call for restraint rather than indifference. “It is of national security interest to the United States to make sure this transition goes forward as smoothly as possible,” Ghattas asserts, warning against spoilers that could derail progress.
Watch full episode: Syria after Assad.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
Bitcoins are being displayed in Huai 'an city, Jiangsu province, China, on June 26, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Wisconsin school shooting, Crypto keeps cooking, what Russia got out of A$$ad, Japan’s biggest bank makes huge apology, Brazil tracks DNA of gold
2: Police have identified that the shooter who opened fire at a Christian school in Wisconsin was a 15-year old female student. The shooter killed two people, a student and a teacher, and left six others severely injured before taking her own life.
106,000: Whether you see them as heroes or as villains, one thing is for sure: the crypto bros are absolutely cooking these days. The value of Bitcoin, the world’s largest crypto currency, has tripled in value this year, hitting a record high of $106,000 on Monday before settling back to a still-scorching $105,000. Investors in the currency are eagerly awaiting a crypto-friendly Trump administration. Last week Trump proposed creating a strategic stockpile of Bitcoin, akin to the US strategic oil reserves.
250 million: What did the Kremlin get out of supporting the now-deposed Syrian despot Bashar Assad for so long? At least $250 million, for one thing. According to a phenomenally detailed report by the Financial Times, Assad, under severe US and EU sanctions, airlifted two tons of cash in that amount to Moscow in 2018 and 2019, as part of a broader scheme of embedding Syrian interests in Russia’s financial system.
1 billion: Japan’s biggest bank on Monday apologized after one of its employees allegedly stole more than 1 billion yen (about $6.6 million) from clients’ safety deposit boxes. The thefts occurred over the past four years at two Tokyo branches of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, known as MUFG for short. Gomenasai indeed.
38: Call it the 23 and Me of Brazilian gold.Brazil, which has long struggled to rein in illegal mining in the Amazon, has developed a database that classifies samples of the metal from different regions, based on “radio-isotope scans and fluorescence spectroscopy” (we can’t tell you what that is but it sounds cool). This database of gold’s “DNA” has helped the authorities to better trace illegal gold hauls, boosting seizures of illegal gold by 38% in 2023 alone.
Russia and Iran just lost their "crown jewel" in the Middle East - Kim Ghattas
Was Assad ever truly a stabilizing force? On GZERO World, Kim Ghattas, a contributing editor at the Financial Times and author of Black Wave, unpacks Syria’s collapse, Iran and Russia’s strained influence, and what’s next for Tehran on the global stage.
Ghattas challenges the notion that Iran and Russia willingly abandoned Syria in the days before Assad's fall, arguing instead that their diminished capacities forced their retreat. "The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russians don’t give up easily on the crown jewel of their influence in the Mediterranean," she asserts, explaining how the war in Ukraine has strained Russia’s resources. Similarly, Iran's "axis of resistance," a cornerstone of its regional strategy, is faltering as the country faces internal transitions and external threats. “They’ve stretched themselves too thin… from Yemen to Syria, their investments are crumbling,” Ghattas observes.
As the discussion pivots to Iran’s next steps, Bremmer asks whether the Islamic Republic will seek engagement with adversaries or double down on its nuclear ambitions. Ghattas believes both paths are possible, emphasizing that Iran is grappling with profound internal changes. “They want to be accepted by the international community,” she notes, referencing Iran’s historical yearning for legitimacy. However, with its proxy forces unraveling and vulnerabilities exposed, Tehran’s future remains precarious. “This is, in essence, the end of Iran's strategy of proxy militias around the region,” Ghattas says.
Watch full episode: Syria after Assad.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).
People celebrate after fighters of the ruling Syrian body ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo, Syria, December 13, 2024.
From Assad to Uncertainty
Syria’s new leadership claims it wants to prioritize stability and reconstruction over further conflict – but will that be possible? With Israel fortifying the Golan Heights, Turkey expanding its influence, and Russia retreating, we’re watching this week if Syria and its neighbours will manage to get along — and how allies and adversaries will react.
No new confrontation – for now. Inan interview given on Saturday to Syria TV, Ahmad al-Sharaa — formerly known by his nom de guerre “Abu Mohammed al-Golani” — the leader of the HTS, stated that despite Israel having “clearly crossed the lines of engagement in Syria”, the country’s war-weary condition “does not allow for new confrontations.” Instead, Al-Sharaa stated that HTS’ priorities are reconstruction and stability and called for diplomatic solutions to ensure Syria’s security.
Israel is still wary. Despite al-Sharaa’s moderate tone, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katzmaintained that security threats to Israel have not diminished. Israeli forces remain present in the buffer zone inside Syria and continue to conduct strikes on military targets. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans todouble the Israeli population of the Golan Heights as a defensive measure against the “new front” that had opened up in the wake of Assad’s ouster, but says his country has "no interest in a conflict with Syria."
Iran steps out, Turkey steps in. Assad’s fall dealta severe blow to Tehran’s influence in Syria, a vacuum Ankara is only too happy to fill. Turkey has now offered toprovide military training to Syria's new administration if requested, and will maintain troops in several cities in northern Syria, where it has been conducting military operations since 2016. Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Güler said his country’s priority remains the elimination of Kurdish militias, which enjoy US backing but are considered terrorists by Turkey.
What about Russia? The other big loser in Syriais Moscow, which had heavily backed Assad’s regime for years, in exchange for strategic positions within the country including the Khmeimim Air Base and Tartus Naval Base. Recent satellite imagery has shown Russian forcespacking up military equipment and preparing for transport. The Kremlin has confirmed that Moscow isin discussions with HTS about retaining its two bases, but has withdrawn troops from frontline positions.
Will the United States fill the gap? US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that Washington has beenactively engaging with Syria's new leadership but gave no details on when or at what level. Blinken met over the weekend with regional leaders in Jordan to discuss Syria’s future as well as seek the return of Austin Tice, an American journalist detained a decade ago in Syria.
Blinken also emphasized the importance of destroying chemical weapons and rejecting terrorism, warning that “This is a moment of vulnerability in which ISIS will seek to regroup.”
Could US policy change under Trump? When Assad’s government fell, President-elect Donald Trumpposted “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!"
Mike Waltz, Trump's nominee for national security adviser, told Fox News last week that Trump was elected with an overwhelming mandate to keep the United States out of regional wars, and that America's"core interests" remain ISIS, Israel and "our Gulf Arab allies". There are no indications that Trump or his team have reached out to HTS, but the President-elect has reportedly spoken with Netanyahuabout Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the Golan Heights.