The Syrian Observer August 29th 2025 Newsletter - Interview conducted by Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa

 The Syrian Observer

August 29th 2025 Newsletter

OVERVIEW

In Syria this week, local and regional media reported on the interview conducted by Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa with a group of Arab journalists. During the interview, 

 - he wanted to dissociate himself from the Muslim Brotherhood and other islamist ideologies. "All islamist or nationalist ideologies in the region have failed", he said. This comes shortly after a close advisor to Mr Sharaa wrote that the Brotherhood should dissolve itself. Despite the fact that Mr Sharaa was never part or aligned with the Brotherhood, such statements indicate an attempt to dissociate himself from political islam. 

 - At the same time, during the interview, he said that Syria was advancing towards a security agreement with Israel, but that it was not considering normalization as it refuses to give up on the Occupied Golan. After these statements, Israel escalated its attacks on Syria, conducting several strikes as well a commando operation around Damascus. 

 - On the economic front, Syria is moving forward with its plan to create a new currency by removing two currencies from the current Syrian Pound. However, experts caution that history shows removing zeros is no silver bullet. “This is a technical and superficial remedy,” said Samir Aita, president of the Arab Economists Forum and former editor of Le Monde Diplomatique’s Arabic edition. “What matters is whether the underlying problems – inflation, deficits, lack of trust – are being addressed.”

Main Stories

 - Dissolving the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria: Right Idea, Wrong Time

2025-08-29 00:00:25

Syria’s transition requires integration over exclusion, Maher Hassan Shawish argues.

 - Two Hours with Sharaa: Syria’s Present and Aspired Future

2025-08-29 00:00:17

On Suweida, Sharaa admitted that all parties bear responsibility, noting that “a wound exists today.

 -  Growing Concerns Over Syria–Israel Negotiations

2025-08-28 00:00:52

The transitional government in Damascus lacks both popular legitimacy and an electoral mandate to make concessions on Syria’s sovereignty, Marwan Kablan argues in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

 - Sharaa Meets with American Delegation Led by Tom Barrack in Damascus

2025-08-26 10:59:53

That delegation included Senators Markwayne Mullin and Joni Ernst, alongside Congressmen Jason Smith and Jimmy Panetta.