Trump sees opportunity in Syria despite leader’s al Qaeda past

For politically untested Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, it was a seismic, high-profile development: an in-person May 14 meeting with President Trump, a promise to lift economic sanctions on Damascus and an endorsement from Mr. Trump and key Middle Eastern leaders.

Equally important is what the White House believes the 42-year-old Syrian leader can do for the U.S. Some analysts and Syria watchers say it could be a lot, most immediately by helping curb Iranian influence across the region.

“The sanctions relief is definitely going to be the first confidence-building measure between Syria and the U.S. My observation is that al-Sharaa himself has an ambition to be an ally to the U.S. in the region. That’s my reading. He seems quite ambitious,” said Muhammad Bakr Ghbeis, a Harvard Medical School doctor who is president of the nongovernmental organization Citizens for a Secure and Safe America, an influential group of highly educated Syrian Americans that has long pushed for political change inside Syria.