Syria’s Rebel Leader al-Jolani Needs a Chance
The US priority in Syria is to avoid “catastrophic success.” That still means allowing every other kind of success, even when delivered by a former terrorist.
American friends, come hither.
Photographer: Aref Tammawi/AFP via Getty Images
Lame-duck President Joe Biden and his successor, Donald Trump, urgently need a theory of mind about Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of the rebel militias that just ousted the Syrian dictator and could now liberate the country or send it deeper into hell. What does the man want? Could he deliver? And what, if anything, could the United States do to help?
Ever since the Arab Spring in 2011 and the revolt against Bashar al-Assad, the butcher and war criminal now hiding in Russia, the US has tried to get rid of Assad while worrying about “catastrophic success.” Once the dictator is gone, Washington was and is concerned, he could be replaced by somebody or something even more diabolical.