168. A Climate Special: Populism, Security, and Leadership
29 December 2025
120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa)
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Podcast
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10 February 2025
How did Ahmed al-Sharaa go from an imprisoned al-Qaeda fighter to the leader of Syria? What is the psychological impact of living a secret life for over twenty years? What is the future of Syria?
Ahmed al-Sharaa joins Rory and Alastair to discuss all this and more.
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Hani Tayfour - Director (RealStudio Production)
Siham Alobede Technical supervisor (RealStudio Production)
Ahmad Jalal Alkilani - Cameraman (RealStudio Production)
Hasan Ajlany - DOP
Hassan Jabri - Sound Engineer
Mohamad Hamami - Sound Technician Assistant
Bilal Altabakh - Lighting Technician
Chahine Jebara - Lighting Technician
Hadi Alali - Local Producer
Video editor: Josh Smith
Assistant producer: Alice Horrell
Producers: Nicole Maslen
Senior Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Content: Tom Whiter
Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport
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If you are truly going to have another interview with President Ahmed Al-Shara about Al-Qaeda, you should reach out to Syrians and Iraqis when selecting your questions for the interview. They know details that you wouldn’t find no matter how hard you look for them. They hold the secrets of his life. For example: How did he manage to deceive the authorities into believing that he was Iraqi? Is it true that he received special treatment from the Americans while he was a prisoner? If so, why? When he returned to Syria, he disobeyed Al-Baghdadi several times. Then Al-Baghdadi asked him to come to Iraq for a meeting. He went, convinced that Al-Baghdadi would kill him. He told his friends that he wouldn’t return, and even cried. Yet, he returned alive! Why did Al-Baghdadi spare him and not kill him? What happened between them in that meeting? What concessions did Ahmed Al-Shara make to Al-Baghdadi in order to save his life?”
You should’ve asked him whether he was tortured in Abu Ghraib prison, since he mentioned it.
Can we have the Arabic version of the interview posted somewhere?
I am surprised you did not touch on Russia’s relationship and whether he will be open to negotiate their bases in Syria for Assad.
Another revolutionary who transitioned- Nelson Mandela and the ANZ