India, Nov. 16 -- In the swirling turbulence of the Middle East's longest-running conflict, the figure of Ahmed al-Sharaa stands out as one of the most dramatic transformations in recent history. Born in Riyadh in 1982, al-Sharaa would later emerge as the leader of a rebel insurgency and in a lightening campaign in December 2024, claim the presidency of Syria following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Last Monday he was a guest of President Donald Trump in the White House, the first ever visit by a Syrian president to Washington. Only days earlier, al-Sharaa was officially regarded by America as a "specially designated global terrorist"!

Al-Sharaa's early years are shrouded in the secretive milieu of jihadist networks. Accordin...