The recent U.S. and allied decision to delist Ahmad al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al- Julani) and Anas Khattab from the UN Security Council sanctions roster signals a coordinated Western attempt to redefine Syria’s role within Washington’s desired regional order. France, Britain, and the European Union have followed suit, sending a clear message to the region: Julani's political comeback enjoys full Western backing.
This move, however, starkly contradicts Washington’s own emphasis on an “inclusive political transition in Syria.” How can a country that until recently labeled Julani a wanted terrorist now embrace him as a political partner? The answer lies in Washington’s long-standing strategy—using terrorism as a geopolitical tool to contain independent regional powers, particularly Iran and the Axis of Resistance.
Human Rights Crushed Under Political Opportunism
The U.S. and Europe, which claim to champion democracy and human rights, have now fallen silent in the face of shocking reports of abductions, disappearances, and civilian killings in Syria. The UN Human Rights Office has reported nearly 100 disappearances in Syria since the start of this year. Yet Washington justifies lifting sanctions on the pretext of Julani's alleged commitment to “combating terrorism and drug trafficking.”
This reflects the same double standard the West has long applied to Yemen, Iraq, and Palestine—where concepts like human rights and democracy serve not as values but as instruments of coercion and political bargaining. Within this framework, if Julani aligns himself with the Abraham Accords and the normalization agenda with Israel, all his past crimes will be quietly forgiven.
Trump’s Narcissism and the Reordering of the American Order
Understanding Washington’s latest behavior is impossible without recognizing the personal ambitions of Donald Trump and his political circle. After repeated failures in subduing Russia and Iran—and amid his administration’s setbacks over Gaza—Trump now presents the “Julani project” as a token diplomatic victory.
Kazakhstan’s reported entry into the Abraham Accords and the possible announcement of a Julani –Trump meeting at the White House represent a publicity-driven attempt to revive the so-called “peace process,” whose true aim is not peace but the normalization of Israel’s regional dominance. Simultaneously, the redeployment of U.S. forces on Syrian soil to safeguard Israeli interests shows Washington’s determination to cement its sphere of influence in West Asia, even at the expense of Syria’s sovereignty.
From Damascus to Gaza: The Continuity of a Historic Deceit
Western governments speak at the UN Security Council about Syria’s “political future,” yet in Gaza they have failed even to uphold their own commitments to a ceasefire. Those who promised humanitarian aid in Sharm el-Sheikh now stand silent before starvation and genocide in Gaza. This behavioral paradox—absolving terrorists while punishing the victims of resistance—has been replayed from Bosnia to Baghdad, from Damascus to Gaza.
In truth, Western policy rests on two pillars: legitimizing “acceptable terrorism” and criminalizing legitimate self-defense. When a terrorist like Julani is whitewashed while Palestinian resistance is branded a “threat,” the true face of the Western order is revealed—an order serving the machinery of war capitalism and Zionism.
This contradiction has not only shattered the moral image of Western human rights but has also undermined the ethical legitimacy of the U.S.-led international order itself.