Foreign & Public Diplomacy

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Syria’s uphill battle for democratic reform, NATO efforts to appease the United States, and legal troubles for far-right politicians in France and the United Kingdom.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was hoping to demonstrate Syria’s shift toward democracy during his first Damascus-hosted summit with a major Western leader on Tuesday. Instead, French President Emmanuel Macron’s historic visit was marred by violence as explosions in the capital—the second such attack this month—injured at least 18 people. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Syria’s uphill battle for democratic reform, NATO efforts to appease the United States, and legal troubles for far-right politicians in France and the United Kingdom.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was hoping to demonstrate Syria’s shift toward democracy during his first Damascus-hosted summit with a major Western leader on Tuesday. Instead, French President Emmanuel Macron’s historic visit was marred by violence as explosions in the capital—the second such attack this month—injured at least 18 people. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack.

Just two years ago, Sharaa had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head for his ties to al Qaeda. However, since ousting longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Sharaa has implemented democratic reforms in an effort to rebrand his (and his country’s) global image. In a little more than a year, Syria has joined the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, convinced the European Union to lift all economic sanctions on Syria, signed investment deals worth tens of billions of dollars to rebuild the war-torn country, and allowed millions of Syrian refugees to return home.

Yet bouts of violence by religious and ethnic minorities have plagued Sharaa’s efforts. Many groups remain skeptical of his agenda. Across the country—particularly in regions with large Alawite, Druze, and Kurdish communities—hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between government forces and minority rebels. And on Thursday, a bombing at a crowded café in Damascus killed at least 10 people and injured more than 20 others.

However, Macron’s faith in Syria’s future appears to be unwavering. “Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe,........

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