French war reporter and global jihadism expert Wassim Nasr was part of the presidential press party during Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to Damascus. He shares his first-hand account not only of what happened between Macron and Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa during the visit, but also what he discovered afterwards, during a trip to Aleppo and to the northern town of Kobane.
Wassim and Thomas discuss:
What it was like inside Macron’s presidential delegation to Syria
France–Syria relations after the fall of Bashar al-Assad
Macron and Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Umayyad Mosque and Mount Qasioun
Islamic State bombings during Macron’s Damascus visit
French investment in Syrian reconstruction, energy, ports and transport
Aleppo’s security, political representation and slow post-war recovery
Kobani, SDF integration, PKK influence and Arab–Kurdish tensions
Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Islamist pragmatism and Syria’s dependence on his leadership
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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.
Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.
Produced and edited by Thomas Small.
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