Bangladesh, Dec. 9 -- When US President Donald Trump traveled to the Middle East in May, few expected the trip to produce a diplomatic turning point between Washington and Damascus. Fewer still imagined that Trump would personally meet Syrias new president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa – a figure whose past ties to Al-Qaeda and Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) once made him an untouchable outcast in Western capitals. But under pressure from two of Washingtons closest regional partners, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump agreed to meet the Syrian leader. What began as a bold gesture quickly transformed into one of the most consequential diplomatic gambles of Trumps second term.

The real shock came ...