Time names Syria’s Sharaa among 100 most influential leaders

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential leaders, the publication announced on April 16.

Al-Sharaa, who led opposition forces that ousted longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, was featured in the “Leaders” category of the annual list, which recognizes political figures shaping global affairs.

In a profile written by former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, Time described Sharaa as a “central figure in Syria’s recent political transformation” and a “pragmatic politician” navigating complex regional dynamics.

“The soft-spoken al-Sharaa was once aligned with al-Qaeda and later with Daesh, but fought both fiercely to ensure the loyalty of his own fighters,” Time wrote. “To defeat Assad, the ambitious al-Sharaa realized he had to become a political leader as well as a military force.”

Sharaa’s path to power in post-Assad Syria

Ford’s profile highlights Sharaa’s complex evolution from militant leader to politician. “He assembled alliances with other Syrian rebels, often at gunpoint, and secured Turkish support,” Ford wrote, noting that Sharaa established “a religiously conservative statelet in northwest Syria that ruled effectively and reached out to reassure minority groups.”

Since becoming interim president in late January, Sharaa has conducted diplomatic visits throughout the region while his government works to lift sanctions and secure funding to rebuild the war-torn nation.

The transition has not been without violence. In March, an Assadist uprising on Syria’s coast resulted in approximately 803 deaths, predominantly Alawite civilians killed by militias loosely affiliated with government forces, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The government has promised an investigation.

“Observers are left to wonder if al-Sharaa is an Islamist extremist whose moderate poses are only ploys for temporary political gain, or if he’s more a pragmatic politician who exploited extremist groups to gain power,” Ford noted in his profile.

Sharaa is the Middle East’s only leader on this year’s Time 100 list, which also includes U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Other regional figures honored include Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, agricultural researcher Ismahane Elouafi, and Israeli former captive Noa Argamani.

First published in 1999 and made an annual event in 2004, the Time 100 list recognizes individuals who have a significant impact on the world stage.