Theocracy With Benefits
Syria's Western-Sponsored Caliphate
To the surprise of no one, the fall of Assad didn’t bring freedom. Conversely, the “revolution” opened the door for a Western-aligned warlord to enforce Islamist rule while protecting foreign interests: a song as old as time, replayed with new lyrics.
And leading this vertiginous theater is Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, the former al-Qaeda leader now parading as a politician in a stolen suit, offering the illusion of progress in one hand, while the other restores a caliphate brick by bloodied brick. We won’t dignify his rebranded persona with the name “Ahmed al-Sharaa,” as he remains Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the jihadist warlord.
The most recent reminder: a suicide bombing at San Elias Church in Damascus. Thirty Christian worshippers were murdered in a moment that should have summoned national mourning and global condemnation. Instead, the Jolani regime blamed ISIS for the slaughter within fifteen minutes. While undoubtedly efficient, it was efficient in the way cover stories often are: too clean and convenient to be true.
A fact omitted from the regime’s initial finger-pointing: Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah claimed responsibility for the church bombing, naming their operative as Muhammad Zain al‑Abidin Abu Uthman. The group was once aligned with HTS, the very group now backing President Jolani’s Rule. According to The Syriana Analysis, one of the murderers, an 18 year old operative, had previously been seen driving through the same Christian neighborhood with loudspeakers, demanding conversions to Islam.
The regime did find time to condemn the Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, after he called the church bombing victims “martyrs” during the June 24 funeral service in Damascus. State-aligned outlets swiftly accused him of undermining national unity and attempting to stir division.
While Jolani initially promised the birth of a multicultural society where minority rights would be safeguarded, the reality has been far bleak for those who dared to believe the former jihadist had truly become the statesman he performs as on television.
According to testimony from Syrian Christians, extremist groups ignored by the new regime continue targeting their communities. Threats, desecration, and intimidation have failed to evoke even minimal state intervention.
Over the last few months, in addition to supposedly non-governmental forces committing acts of violence, the UN’s Commission on Syria reported ongoing arbitrary arrests and property seizures of Alawites. With security forces either looking the other way or quietly cooperating, the state careens towards becoming a nation where Islamic fundamentalism doesn’t just reign, but luxuriates as the default condition of civic life.
This often mentioned rebranding of Jolani and the country he rules is sadly limited to the international stage. In towns like Jableh, women are harassed on the street for showing their hair or walking beside male friends. Residents are asked for marriage certificates at public beaches. What began as hope in the wake of Assad’s fall has decayed into dread, as those outside the fold of Islamist fundamentalism wake from one nightmare only to be swallowed up into another.
And yet the West, desperate for a new narrative after the Assad regime’s fall, says nothing. The influencers and institutions that supported “Syrian democracy” are now silent. After championing the so-called Revolution, echoing its anthems, and filling the coffers of its militant wing, the newborn caliphate now preens stamped in western approval.
The man who once led al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch now shakes hands with presidents. Welcomed warmly by President Trump at a summit in Riyadh, Jolani is rumored to soon meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu during the UN General Assembly. As reports emerge of his quiet meetings with U.S. ambassadors during his years as a designated terrorist and of Israel’s “humanitarian” care for wounded al-Nusra fighters during the Syrian Civil War, a long game begins to reveal itself. What once seemed like coincidence now looks very much like design.
Since Jolani took power, Israel has seen clear strategic gains. Its control over the Golan Heights remains uncontested, and newly granted positions on Mount Hermon provide direct surveillance into Damascus. The United States has secured intelligence access, expanded its presence on the ground, reopened diplomatic channels, and even refueled warplanes over Syrian airspace during strikes on Iran.
With such benefits to offer, a taliban style regime in Damascus terrorizing minority groups and forcing the citizenry to accept life in an islamofascist hellscape suddenly finds itself applauded for its “democratic transition” and invited to summits.
The Jolani regime, which admittedly is a strange thing to call a puppet show, has not liberated Syria. It has replaced the autocratic with the theocratic, exchanging the Baathist fist for the Salafi whip. Unfortunately, in today’s absurdist discourse, saying that earns you the scarlet letter of “Assad apologist.” The powers who funded the jihadists now smile behind conference tables, coordinating aid packages and reconstruction plans, as journalists disappear and minorities flee or die.
Just how much truth must be buried to keep this useful regime in the geopolitical cocktail circuit is yet to be seen, but the silence from Western capitals suggests they’ve already made peace with the cost.
Source articles:
Abu Mohammad al‑Jolani (Ahmed al‑Sharaa)
Reuters: Syrian leader Sharaa's path from global jihad to meeting Trump
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-leader-sharaas-path-global-jihad-trump-meeting-2025-05-14/ al-monitor.com+15reuters.com+15reuters.com+15ABC News: From al‑Qaeda to Syria's presidency, the rise of Ahmad al‑Sharaa
https://abcnews.go.com/International/al-qaeda-syrias-presidency-rise-ahmad-al-sharaa/story?id=121788656 reuters.com+14abcnews.go.com+14en.wikipedia.org+14
🔹 June 22, 2025 – Damascus church bombing
Reuters: Twenty killed in suicide bombing at Damascus church
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/blast-rocks-church-syrias-damascus-witnesses-say-2025-06-22/ reuters.com+15reuters.com+15thenationalnews.com+15Reuters News: Suicide bombing of Damascus church shakes faith in 'new Syria'
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/suicide-bombing-damascus-church-syria-mgvnkxknv thetimes.co.ukAl‑Monitor: Shadowy extremist group claims Damascus church attack
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/06/shadowy-extremist-group-claims-damascus-church-attack m.facebook.com+15al-monitor.com+15thetimes.co.uk+15
🔹 Sectarian massacres of Alawites
Reuters Investigation: Syrian forces massacred 1,500 Alawites
https://www.reuters.com/investigations/syrian-forces-massacred-1500-alawites-chain-command-led-damascus-2025-06-30/ en.wikipedia.org+11reuters.com+11youtube.com+11Wikipedia: 2025 massacres of Syrian Alawites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_massacres_of_Syrian_Alawites youtube.com+6en.wikipedia.org+6reuters.com+6
🔹 US‑Syria diplomatic engagement & sanctions
Reuters: Trump meets Syrian president, urges him to establish ties with Israel
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-meet-syrian-president-saudi-before-heading-qatar-2025-05-14/ reuters.com+4reuters.com+4aljazeera.com+4Al‑Jazeera: Trump meets Syria’s al‑Sharaa, eyes normalisation of ties with Damascus
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/14/trump-meets-syrias-al-sharaa-eyes-normalisation-of-ties-with-damascus reuters.com+15aljazeera.com+15abcnews.go.com+15
🔹 Terrorism group Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah claims/analysis
Washington Institute: The Damascus Church Attack: Who Is Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah?
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/damascus-church-attack-who-saraya-ansar-al-sunnah kurdistan24.net+9washingtoninstitute.org+9thenationalnews.com+9The National (Habib Zelin): ISIS‑linked militants suspected in church bombing
https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/06/24/isis-linked-militants-suspected-of-links-to-damascus-church-bombing-killed/ thenationalnews.comWikipedia: Saraya Ansar al‑Sunnah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraya_Ansar_al-Sunnah aljazeera.com+6en.wikipedia.org+6thenationalnews.com+6