Syria's Defecto President Appoints al-Qaeda-Linked Advisor: What This Means for the West

Ahmad al-Sharaa meets with Syrian leadership; cc Screenshot X

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Summary of Key Points

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1. Ahmad al-Sharaa appoints Muwaffaq Ahmad Saidan as senior political advisor
2. International concerns over Saidan’s ties to Osama bin Laden
   1. Implications for Syria’s foreign relations
   2. Impact on Western aid and sanctions policy
3. Rise of extremist networks in post-Assad Syria
   1. Vacuum after Assad’s fall in Dec 2024
   2. Shift to ultraconservative Salafism
   3. ISIS targeting Shiite communities
4. Historical context and Western involvement
   1. Hillary Clinton’s role (2011–2013)
      1. Weapons transfers from Libya through Turkey
      2. “Zero footprint” strategy
   2. Cascading effect: Sunni-backed groups gain power
5. Political maneuvering and the Muslim Brotherhood
   1. Saidan’s call to dissolve the Brotherhood
   2. Al-Sharaa’s distancing from extremist labels
   3. Future of Syria’s pluralistic order

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Ahmad al-Sharaa, former al-Qaeda commander and current president of Syria, has appointed Muwaffaq Ahmad Saidan as senior political advisor to the Syrian regime. This raises serious international concerns due to Saidan's direct ties to al-Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden, bringing to light the true intent of Ahmad al-Sharaa's rise to power and what this will mean for the West. Syria's new governmental network is showing its true colors by collaborating with various extremist or terrorist networks.

The Rise of Extremist Networks in Post-Assad Syria

After Assad's Alawite regime was toppled in December 2024, Abu Mohammad al-Julani (al-Sharaa) rose to power. With the fall of Assad's government, the protection it provided to religious minorities has ended, creating a power vacuum that hungry Sunni Islamic groups have rushed to fill with their vision of traditional, forced Islamic governance. The political pluralism that existed under the Assad regime for various communities has now become polarized.

The Arab Spring had left its mark on Sunni Islamic groups as their power shifted into an ultraconservative Salafism, known for its violent interpretation of Sunni Islam. This transformation explains why ISIS has targeted Shiite mosques and communities within Syria after Assad's regime came to an end. Now the world reopens the past playbook of Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. As the world watches terrorists expand their networks and shift the global paradigm, one must ask how much the past has caught up with the future and how Clinton's decisions of the past have shifted or contributed to this nuanced global shift in dynamics and regime change. How much did the United States and England contribute to the deaths of many Syrians, and why did Clinton want to oust Assad?

Historical Context and Western Involvement

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during her term under Obama's administration, participated in efforts to arm rebels against Assad's regime with the help of Western intelligence services. Between 2011 and 2013, following the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime, Clinton supported the transfer of weapons from Libya. Sources indicate that weapons that belonged to Libya were shipped through Turkey and then brought into Syria to support rebel forces fighting to overthrow Assad's regime. This operation had support from various regional actors, and sources claim the Muslim Brotherhood was among the driving forces behind Secretary Clinton's moves to overthrow the Assad regime.

The weapons transfer operation resulted in what arms dealer Marc Turi called a "zero footprint" strategy, where the U.S. would send weapons to rebels through Arab countries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. However, when questioned during 2013 Senate hearings on Benghazi, Clinton denied knowledge of weapons moving from Libya into Turkey for transfer to Syria.

Creating a cascading effect over time, Assad's regime was eventually disbanded through force, resulting in a migration of power to Syrian Sunni-backed groups. This rearranged the Islamic geopolitical dynamic, shifting those who held privilege into becoming refugees, while former refugee populations now hold positions of influence. Al-Sharaa's appointment of Saidan is seen as a likely setback for Syria's attempt to establish a more balanced, modern form of government, comparable to that under ISIS control.

Political Maneuvering and the Muslim Brotherhood

The goal? A nuanced modern-day form of government that will produce the desired outcome of mobilization and coalition building of Sunni law and powers, without the traditional form of the Muslim Brotherhood's grassroots method of turning the tide of government power. Ahmad Muwaffaq Saidan, media advisor to Al-Sharaa, authored an article that urged the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to dissolve itself to help consolidate the newly empowered regime under Al-Sharaa.

According to Sky News Arabia, "Al-Sharaa distanced himself from any association with the (Muslim) Brotherhood or jihadist groups, while also disowning the popular uprising of the Arab Spring". However, the offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, led by Hassan al-Turabi and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will build a government structure that will thrive under modern-day geopolitical environments in the region.

Saidan claimed it was "necessary to prevent internal division and unlock the potential of Syria's youth, many of whom remain disengaged due to the group's outmoded leadership and inability to adapt to modern challenges". The fate of the Brotherhood will remain a critical element in determining the direction of Syria's pluralistic order.