Former U.S. Ambassador’s remarks on Al-Sharaa spark widespread debate online

The statements made by former U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, sparked widespread controversy on social media after he spoke in a lecture published on the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs channel. He discussed his meetings with the head of the Damascus authority, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, and spoke about a non-governmental British initiative that helped "move him from the world of jihad to politics," as he put it.

The lecture was hosted by the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization founded in 1980 in Baltimore, Maryland. It aims to educate citizens on international affairs and U.S. foreign policy by hosting lectures and seminars led by experts, diplomats, and former officials. Users circulated Ford’s talk, quoting him as saying he was invited to contribute to the process of moving Al-Sharaa from “the world of terrorism to mainstream politics.” He added that he was “hesitant at first,” saying, “I had an image of myself in an orange jumpsuit with a knife to my throat, but after talking to people who had met him before, I decided to seize the opportunity.”

A report by Al-Arab, a London-based newspaper, covered the growing attention to these statements. Some saw them as an indication of direct U.S. and British involvement in supporting Al-Sharaa, while others accused those sharing the news of “distorting the translation” and misrepresenting Ford’s words.

One activist wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Robert Ford: I was among those who trained Al-Jolani to take power in Damascus at Britain’s request. The meetings and training took place in Idlib in 2020 and 2023.”

According to circulating reports, Ford mentioned three meetings with Al-Sharaa, two in 2023 and a third at the presidential palace after the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024 and Al-Sharaa’s rise to power.

In his account, Ford said he first met Al-Sharaa in Idlib in March 2023 and described their conversation as “calm and composed.” He added, “I sat beside him with his long beard and military uniform and said in Arabic: ‘I never imagined I would be sitting here.’ He replied calmly: ‘Neither did I.’”

During their meetings, Al-Sharaa reportedly said he realized that his previous methods “were not suitable for governing a region inhabited by 4 million people, including 2 million refugees,” noting that “governance requires making compromises.”

However, these statements did not go unnoticed. Many questioned their credibility, and others outright denied them. The Syrian presidency, through a statement relayed by Sham FM Radio, denied any private meetings between Ford and Al-Sharaa, confirming that the meetings took place only during general visits by delegations.

One user posted: “The translation is fake. The video is clear and makes no mention of training or rehabilitating Al-Jolani, nor any official or unofficial British role.”

On the other hand, some referred to earlier statements by former U.S. envoy to Syria, James Jeffrey, who confirmed a longstanding U.S. relationship with Al-Sharaa. He noted that the Trump administration indirectly intervened to prevent an attack on Idlib in 2018, which allowed Al-Jolani, later Al-Sharaa, to survive and rise.

Despite the widespread debate, Ford’s statements remain a subject of speculation, especially amid contradictions between media narratives, activist responses, and official denials, raising serious questions about the true nature of Western involvement in the political shift witnessed in northern Syria in recent months.

A-H

ANHA