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.

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Jonathan Spyer

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).