Syria uneasily celebrates a year of liberation

HE CRACKLE of explosions echoes across the Damascus sky.

- The Economist

Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda leader who is now Syria's interim president, has got plenty right over the past year.

(REUTERS)

A year ago such blasts were the soundtrack to rebel forces bearing down on the capital. Today they come from celebratory fireworks, Syrians are preparing for the first anniversary of their liberation from the regime of Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s blood-soaked dictator who fled on December 8th 2024. Billboards celebrating their freedom plaster the city. Syrians have travelled to the capital from all over the country in anticipation of the celebrations.Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda leader who is now Syria’s interim president, has got plenty right over the past year. He has ended Syria’s decades of diplomatic isolation with startling speed. He is a fixture at conferences around the world. At the White House in November Donald Trump sprayed him with aftershave while inquiring how many wives he had—another moment in his unlikely bromance with the American president.

Many of the sanctions that brought Syria to its knees under Mr Assad have been waived. Congress is expected to repeal the most punishing— the Caesar Act—by early 2026. International firms are exploring deals. In December executives from Chevron, an oil giant, visited Damascus. dp World, an Emirati firm, has signed a hefty contract with the government to run the port at Tartus. Businessmen shuttle in and out of the capital.