In a historic moment signaling a shifting world order, US President Donald Trump met with Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia.

Photographs from the Wednesday summit captured a pivotal event in Middle Eastern geopolitics, marking a dramatic turn in US-Syria relations.

The meeting followed Trump’s announcement that he would work to lift sanctions on Syria, sparking widespread celebrations across the country from Tuesday night into Wednesday.

For Syrians, the prospect of eased economic restrictions represents hope after years of conflict and hardship.

Ahmed al-Sharaa’s ascent is nothing short of remarkable. Just five months ago, on December 8, 2024, he led his Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham forces into Damascus, seizing control of the Syrian capital.

At the time, Sharaa carried a $10 million US bounty on his head due to past allegations of terrorism ties.

The US swiftly canceled the bounty in December 2024, though questions lingered about how quickly Washington would establish formal ties.

European nations moved faster, with Sharaa visiting France before his high-profile meeting with Trump.

The US president’s engagement with Sharaa now underscores a significant shift in American foreign policy in the region.

The Trump-Sharaa meeting carries deep symbolic weight, effectively closing a chapter of the Global War on Terror launched by President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks.

That era saw US military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, where Sharaa himself played a complex role. Around 2005, Sharaa traveled to Iraq to oppose the US occupation and was detained at the US-run Camp Bucca, according to reports.

Released in 2011, Sharaa returned to Syria to fight Bashar al-Assad’s regime. His group, initially linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq, was viewed as the Syrian branch of the terrorist network.

Over time, Sharaa distanced himself from al-Qaeda, a move that has culminated in his emergence as a key figure in Syria’s new government. His journey—from a US detention center to a meeting with the American president—marks a striking bookend to the US’s post-9/11 role in the Middle East.

Sharaa’s rise is inseparable from the broader context of the Arab Spring, the 2011 uprisings that toppled several Arab nationalist regimes.

What began as a wave of hope for democratic reform descended into civil war and chaos in countries like Syria and Iraq. Extremist groups, including ISIS, exploited this instability, further complicating the region’s trajectory.

Sharaa’s leadership and his meeting with Trump signal a potential stabilization in Syria, though the legacy of the Arab Spring remains fraught.

The Middle East continues to grapple with the consequences of those turbulent years, even as new leaders like Sharaa navigate a path forward.

The Trump-Sharaa summit is more than a diplomatic photo-op; it is a potent symbol of a changing global landscape.

As the US redefines its role in the Middle East, Sharaa’s transformation from a wanted militant to a recognized leader reflects the region’s complex and evolving dynamics. The world will be watching closely as Syria—and the broader Middle East—enters this new chapter.