Syria’s transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in Washington next week. It's the first such visit by a Syrian leader to the US capital since the republic was founded in 1946. The trip comes as Syria struggles to stabilise after the fall of the Assad regime.

Damascus

Northeastern Syria has been under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for over a decade, with significant backing from the United States. Following the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024, the region has experienced shifting power dynamics, including territorial losses by the SDF to Turkish-backed forces and ongoing disputes over governance and integration.

In March 2025, a U.S.-backed agreement aimed to integrate the SDF into a new national army, but progress remains slow. President Ahmed al-Shara's upcoming visit to Washington will focus on securing security guarantees, reconstruction support, and finalizing terms for Kurdish integration, as Syria faces continued external pressures from Turkey and Israel and the risk of renewed internal fragmentation.

New Syrian leader set to make U.S state visit

For more than a decade, northeastern Syria has been governed by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a powerful military and political entity backed by the United States. At its height, the SDF controlled roughly a third of the country, most of Hasakah, much of Raqqa, and areas of Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo. But the map has shifted since December 2024, when the Assad government collapsed and local power balances changed. The SDF lost Manbij and Tal Rafa to Turkish-backed forces after Ankara launched a coordinated offensive it called Operation Dawn of Freedom. In Deir ez-Zor, the SDF briefly entered the city after Assad's forces withdrew, but left days later amid local protest. But the core of the northeast remains under SDF administration, a region holding most of Syria's oil and gas and a large share of its wheat production. In March this year, the SDF and Syria's transitional government signed a U.S.-backed agreement to eventually fold the SDF into a new national army. But implementation is slow and fragile. The SDF wants to preserve a degree of self-governance, its own command structure, and cultural rights for Kurds. The transitional government in Damascus says all Syrian territory must return under a single chain of command. While the Syrian civil war is over, the regional chessboard is still active. The United States maintains several hundred troops in the northeast, aiming to prevent the resurgence of ISIL and to shape the post-Assad order. But the largest external pressure comes from Turkey. Ankara weaves the SDF and especially its backbone, the YPG, as an extension of the PKK, which it considers a terrorist organization. It has repeatedly warned that no political settlement in Syria can legitimize what it sees as a hostile armed force on its southern border. We will clear our border from terrorists. We can't allow a terror corridor along our border. Meanwhile, Israel continues to strike targets and expand its military presence inside Syria, claiming it is protecting its borders and Syrian minorities. For President Ahmed al-Shara, the task is delicate, restoring state authority without reopening old wars. His visit to Washington is expected to focus on security guarantees, reconstruction frameworks, and the final terms of Kurdish integration. If the integration fails, Syria risks sliding back into fragmentation. al-Shara's Washington trip is a test of whether Syria's new leadership can secure international guarantees while navigating the demands of powerful neighbors and fears of renewed fragmentation inside the country. Many believe the path to restoring sovereignty runs through negotiations not only at home, but across Ankara, Washington, Tel Aviv, and beyond. Rasul Serdar, Al Jazeera.

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