The Man of the Hour: Ahmad al-Sharaa

So much converges on him. The success of one of the hardest post-war transitions in recent history may hinge on his ability to manage it. Who is he and can he do it?

When photos of Ahmad al-Sharaa’s brief but landmark meeting with Donald Trump and Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh were released to the press, the internet lit up with incredulous commentary. “I want to see this guy’s diary,” someone wrote. Others joked: “Try time-travelling 10 years back and explaining this picture to your past self.”

But perhaps the most telling comment came from a Middle East professor:

“Imagine someone in 2014 telling you that this photo would be real: MBS was a minor royal, Trump was still The Apprentice guy, and al-Sharaa was an al-Qaeda commander.”

The trajectories of Trump and MBS are well known. The same cannot be said of Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly known as al-Jolani), whose life remains a puzzle with missing pieces. I will now attempt to gather the fragments¹ we do know.