After Assad, New Syrian Leadership Prepares to Rebuild their Country

By Abby Bedard

Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto leader since the fall of Assad late last year, was recently appointed president of Syria for a transitional period. A slew of other announcements followed, including the dissolution of the Syrian constitution, Bashar al-Assad’s Baath party, the Syrian military and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), al-Sharaa’s own organization. Al-Sharaa has been granted permission to form a temporary legislative council until a new constitution can be ratified; however, it is unclear when this will be, as no set timeline for the “transitional period” has yet been announced.

What was the Ba’ath Party?

The Ba’ath party, or the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, was founded in 1947 by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din as a Pan-Arab socialist party. In 1966, Hafez al-Assad (father of Bashar), along with Salah Jadid, ousted Aflaq and al-Din, taking over the group. The elder Bashar would go on to seize power from his partner Jadid in 1970, becoming sole leader of the party. After his death in 2000, his son, Bashar, assumed control. Given the Ba’ath Party’s ties to the previous regime and their brutal legacy, the dissolution of the Ba’ath party comes as little surprise.

Who is Ahmed al-Sharaa?

Ahmed al-Sharaa, known previously as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, was the leader of HTS, an Islamist Syrian opposition group with previous links to Al-Qaeda; however, the group has distanced itself in recent years. HTS’s Islamist origins have caused many to worry for the fate of religious minorities in the country under al-Sharaa; however, he claims that these groups will be protected, “There were some violations against them [minorities] by certain individuals during periods of chaos, but we addressed these issues… No one has the right to erase another group. These sects have coexisted in this region for hundreds of years, and no one has the right to eliminate them”.

Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the people in Damascus on January 30th, laying out his priorities and goals as transitional president, “Syria’s priorities today are first, filling the power vacuum legitimately and legally. Second, preserving civil peace by striving to achieve transitional justice and preventing acts of revenge. Third, building state institutions, especially the military, security and police because preserving people’s security takes precedence over any other consideration”.

In the short time since his appointment as transitional president, al-Sharaa has begun meeting with foreign leaders in an effort to garner international support for his transitional government. Early this week, al-Sharaa traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. After the meeting, al-Sharaa reported that Saudi Arabia showed “a genuine desire to support Syria in building its future”. Al-Sharaa’s move to prioritize Saudi Arabia as his first international visit signals another key shift in Syrian foreign policy away from its former ties to Russia and Iran under Assad.

Al-Sharaa’s second trip this week was to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. The two reportedly discussed security ties, migrants, trade and highlighted issues along their shared border, such as the Syrian Kurdish Groups that Turkey considers to be terrorists. This partnership once-again underscores a major shift in Syrian foreign policy and regional dynamics. Following the meeting, al-Sharaa stated “We are working on building a strategic partnership with Turkey to confront the security threats in the region to guarantee permanent security and stability to Syria and Turkey”.