Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appeared to outwit many of his enemies over the years. As his forces have swept across eastern Syria, pushing by the Syrian Democratic Forces, one image being published on social media shows Shara’a playing chess. The symbolism is important. Shara’a is seen as a master chess player, out playing his opponents one-by-one.
Over the last two years, al-Sharaa has appeared to wield impressive skills. He went from leading Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s northwest Idlib province to running most of Syria. He defeated the Assad regime, ejected Iran and Hezbollah from Syria, and also carved out relations with the US, Europe, Russia, and many other countries. Now, having moved Syria to join the anti-ISIS coalition, he is also pushing back the US-backed SDF.
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