Syria’s Jihadist-Turned-President Seeks New Allies

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When Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara sat at the helm of a small, rebel-held enclave in the country’s northwest, his alliances were simpler. Turkey was a supporter, while the Assad regime and Iran were his main enemies. Political support from other countries was welcome, but their financial aid was not essential to survive.

Since his rebel coalition toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, Mr. al-Shara, who spoke to The New York Times this month, has been navigating more complex geopolitical waters. And that foreign support is not just welcome, it is critical to his government’s survival.

To bring Syria’s economy back from the brink, he must persuade U.S. and other Western officials wary of his jihadist past to lift sanctions. To keep the country from plunging back into civil war, he needs military assistance to build a new army. And to keep the government functioning and the country from spinning into total disarray, he needs foreign financing to pay public workers.

Celebrating the fall of the Assad regime on a road leading to the border with Syria, in Bar Elias, Lebanon, in December.Credit…Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

The case he is presenting to the West, Europe and the wealthy Gulf monarchies is straightforward — Syria’s stability affects the entire Middle East.

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“Any chaos in Syria will damage not just neighboring countries but the whole world,” Mr. al-Shara said in a wide-ranging interview in the capital, Damascus.

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