On the off-chance that anyone still bitterly clings to the myth that the function of U.S. foreign policy is to represent American national security interests (and/or spread Democracyโข or human rights or whatever), may the the following curious exchange between former CIA boss/retired general David Petraeus and allegedly reformed Sunni jihadist terrorist Ahmed al-Sharaa โ now ruling Syria following the downfall of the Assad regime โ put that quaint fiction to bed once and for all.
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By way of context, before we get into the pornographic exchange, Ahmed al-Sharaa, current Syrian autocrat, is more popularly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani โ a name he made for himself over decades of raping and pillaging Iraq and Syria in the name of Sunni fundamentalism.
Just a few years ago,ย the U.S. State Department had a $10 million bountyย on al-Sharaaโs head.
Al-Sharaa has worn many hats over the years โ al-Qaeda insurgent post-Iraq invasion, protรฉgรฉ to infamous terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Nusra founder, to name a few โ but none more ill-fitting than his newest role of โstatesman,โ a guise which the United States government is apparently desperate to help him pull off.
Viaย Ynet News, December 2024 (emphasis added):
โThe current military commander of Hayโat Tahrir al-Sham, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, previously served as the Emir of Jabhat al-Nusra from 2012 to 2016. His real identity remains a subject of speculation, with some sources identifying him as Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa and others as Osama al-Wahdi. Reports about his life are contradictory, adding to his enigmatic reputationโฆ
According to Arab media, al-Julani was born in either 1981 or 1982 in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, and grew up in the Idlib region. He initially studied medicine but dropped out and joined al-Qaida in Iraq in 2003 following President Bushโs invasion, where he became close to the infamous Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the groupโs leader. After the latterโs assassination in 2006, al-Julani relocated to Lebanon but later returned to Iraq, where he was detained by U.S. forces and released in 2008.
Following his release, al-Julani resumed his activities with the Islamic State of Iraq under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In August 2011, amid protests against Assad, al-Julani was sent by al-Qaeda to Syria to establish a branch of the organization. In 2012, he founded Jabhat al-Nusra, calling on Syrians to wage jihad against the Assad regime.โ
Hereโs what Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa looked like when he had his jihadi costume onย up until just a few months ago.
LOOK WHAT I FOUND in my archive. Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Sheikh Abu Mohammed al-Jolani in his al Nusra, ISIS/HTS days, now the caretaker 'President' of Syria. Here speaking as if he is a Turkish intelligence agent about the Kurds in NE Syria in 2019. (Englishโฆ pic.twitter.com/kbrhnl88kG
— @Hevallo EYES ON ROJAVA!!! (@Hevallo) August 8, 2025
And this is what he looks like now after his makeover, having his taint licked passionately by Deep State puppet David Petraeus:
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Some of the sicker bits of sycophancy from Petraeus:
- Announces โit is obviously my privilege to interview His Excellency, Ahmed al-Sharaaโ
- Opens the interview with the Muslim greeting โAs-salamu alaykumโ
- Asks about how al-Sharaaโs been sleeping lately
- Swoons like a fan girl: โYour vision is powerful and clear. Your demeanor is very impressive as well. We wish you strength and wisdom in the difficult work ahead. We obviously hope for your success,ย inshallah, because at the end of the day,ย your success is our success.โ
I encourage you to watch the full interview linked above, a truly surreal spectacle.
Lest we suffer the mistaken notion that al-Sharaa has actually reformed himself into some champion of liberal secular democracy, he spent the summer massacring Christians, Druze, and Shia minorities across Syria.
Viaย Catholic News Agency, July 7, 2025 (emphasis added):
โAllies of the new Syrian government and other non-state actors have continued violence and discrimination against Christians, Druze, and Shia Muslims, according to a new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Syrian rebels, many of whom were affiliated with Hayโat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled former Syrian President Bashar al-Assadโs regime in late 2024. The report notes that HTS members, many of whom were foreign fighters, engaged in mass killings and other forms of persecution against religious minorities during the overthrow of Assad and have continued violations after taking control of the government.
Syriaโs new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, commanded HTS during the revolution. He was also previously a member of al-Qaeda. In addition to HTS, the report also noted that members of Turkish-backed political opposition and militias (TSOs) and other organizations that engaged in mass killings and religious liberty violations have been welcomed into high-ranking positions in the new Syrian governmentโฆ
The most egregious violence after the new government took control was waged against Alawite Muslims โ a Shia sect to which Assad and many of his allies belonged โ and against Druze โ an Abrahamic religion that is separate from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
According to the report, unidentified rebels burned the homes of civilian Alawites in Latakia and waged an arson attack against an Alawite shrine in Aleppo last December. It also notes that men who may have been affiliated with the new government executed Alawites and members of the Twelver Shia sect in the Hama province.
The report notes in January and February, HTS loyalists conducted โdoor-to-door interrogations and select executionsโ of Alawite Muslims around the Mediterranean coast. In March, the report adds, โthe murders escalated to full-blown sectarian massacresโ of Alawites in Latakia and Tartus based on allegations of โpro-Assad remnants.โโ