Syria Has a New Government—or Does It?

The HTS Government Doesn’t Have Formal Control over All Syrian Land

Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham, is shown with Syria's new flag.

Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has “assumed the presidency of the country in the transitional phase,” according to a statement from the military command. But his “presidency of the country” is more aspiration than reality.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the organization that overthrew Syria’s Assad regime, has “assumed the presidency of the country in the transitional phase,” according to a statement last week from the military command of the current government in Damascus.

The announcement formalizes the government that has existed since Mr. Sharaa and his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, made their remarkable march from Idlib to Damascus eight weeks ago. It appears to herald the foundation of a centralized Islamist government in Syria after 14 years of civil war.

But not so fast. The new rulers’ declaration is belied by a complex reality on the ground. During a recent reporting trip to Syria, I saw a broken, divided country in which many armed factions are competing. Mr. Sharaa’s “presidency of the country” is more aspiration than reality.

Read the full article at the Wall Street Journal.

Jonathan Spyer oversees the Forum’s content and is editor of the Middle East Quarterly. Mr. Spyer, a journalist, reports for Janes Intelligence Review, writes a column for the Jerusalem Post, and is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal and The Australian. He frequently reports from Syria and Iraq. He has a B.A. from the London School of Economics, an M.A. from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. He is the author of two books: The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict (2010) and Days of the Fall: A Reporter’s Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars (2017).
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