YouSaid · the spoken record

Ahmed al-Sharaa

lines on the record: 39
first: 2025-02-10
most recent: 2025-02-10
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Discussion like this requires us to be a bit more relaxed. I mean more than this. Today they took advantage of our fatigue. Next time I will come well rested and fully awake.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I don't maybe have time to follow Western media. Is a crucial country with a strategic location that has a global impact. Previously, the regime intentionally displaced people to Europe and the trafficked Captagon to both Europe and the region. It also used Damascus as a base for steering broader instability in the region. Because of the very negative role that certain other Today, Syria's situation has changed drastically, becoming a new region with a promising future. It will play a major role in regional stability, sustained through economic development. Syria will also be a key hub in sectors like agriculture, industry and trade. It is situated on the historic Silk Road, trade between East and the West will again thrive. The West should reconsider its view of Syria from this end.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Lives through an experience like ours doesn't care much about what positions they get. We are living in times where the leader makes the position. It is not the position that makes the leader. We faced major challenges and we needed a high level of moral integrity to reach where we are today. Aiming for the presidency as an end goal is the wrong mentality. We focus on serving the people, regardless of the position we hold.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I believe that a revolution reminds it cannot build a country. You need a different mindset when it comes to building a country and managing an entire society. For me, the revolution in its previous sense ended with the overthrow of the regime. Now, we have moved on to a new phase, which involves rebuilding the country, economic development, striving for regional stability and security, reassuring neighboring countries, and establishing strategic relationships between Syria and Western countries, as well as regional countries.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Idlib was very open to people. I would meet with delegations from abroad and had many interactions with journalists. I also had regular meetings with universities, professors and various ministries. I was committed to serving the people, defending them, building institutions, and working towards reaching Damascus to topple this regime and set the Syrian people free while performing my duties, I did not give much consideration to the $10 million bounty. I didn't believe anyone would seek this bounty by killing a person who was dedicated to serving the people.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It wasn't secret in the sense of being hidden and out of sight around the clock. I had a lot to do with daily meetings all day round, along with the time allocated for public relations. I wasn't hiding in the way some might imagine, except in certain situations involving battles or war, which required caution. Hence, I did not live a life isolated from people at all. I lived alongside them while keeping some matters confidential. Now, in my new position, I don't mind sharing this with everyone because the work conditions we faced before have completely changed and we are in a new phase today.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Peace with oneself, to review one's actions at every stage, identify mistakes, and most importantly not repeat them. This has been my approach to our work. I don't claim to be free of mistakes. Quite the opposite. We made some mistakes, but they never reached the point of harming civilians.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I was very careful to ensure that no civilians were harmed in our battles. Despite widespread popular calls to target the cities and villages held by the regime. Just as they relentlessly bombed towns and cities outside their control were refused to do the same. For nearly 14 years, we endured systematic bombing of our villages and towns without ever retaliating against the regime in kind. I focused on targeting the regime's core strengths, such as the army and the security forces and other groups it relied on to fight the people. I avoided any side battles altogether. It's natural for a person to make mistakes and then correct them. It is very important to be at”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I did not impose mandatory consecription in Syria. Instead, I opted for voluntary enlistment. And today, thousands are joining the new Syrian army.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“First of all, there are big differences between the situation in Syria and in Iraq. Comparisons always show a big differences. First, I did not dissolve the Syrian army without having an alternative. I brought the alternative with me, an existing institution and a military academy that produces officers. There were many defected former officers who are now gradually rejoining the current Ministry of Defense. The former regime's army did not resemble the Iraqi army. It was fragmented with many militias and foreign interventions from Iran and Russia. The army was fragmented and collapsed. A large number of young men were fleeing Syria to escape mandatory conscription. So the army did not have much significance for Syrians.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, we inherited an exhausted country, and the regime destroyed everything before we took it over. But this is the challenge we Syrians must face. We must rebuild our country and we do not shy away from this responsibility. There are many issues, but a clear mind tells us we must separate them and address them one by one and set priorities so we can succeed and grow. Nothing is impossible. Despite difficulties with God's will, we as Syrians are capable of rising up, rebuilding our country and making it a regional and a global success story in the future, God willing.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I've reviewed several countries that have experienced economic growth, like Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Brazil at certain points, and Rwanda, which overcame significant challenges to its development. Each country has its unique context, shaped by its specific challenges and stage of development. While we can draw valuable lessons from these examples, we shouldn't blindly replicate them. Instead, we need to adapt and blend these lessons to create an approach that fits Syria's unique situation.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“There is a strong international consensus with everyone who has visited Damascus recently agreeing that sanctions should be lifted. Syria is currently facing major security challenges, and one of the direct solutions is through economic development. That is, what we are focusing on now. Without economic growth, there can be no stability, and without stability, we risk creating an environment that fosters chaius and insecurity. All of these issues are interconnected and must be addressed together.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Sanctions were imposed on the previous regime during its systematic crimes, including mass killings. Some documents were made public and the US reacted by imposing sanctions. Now that we have dismantled the regime and its prisons, these sanctions should be lifted, as there is no justification for them after the fall of the regime.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I believe no power can drive people from their land. Many countries have tried to do it, and they have all failed, especially during the recent war in Gaza. Over the past year and a half. The people endured pain, killing and destruction, yet they refused to leave their land. Over eighty years of this conflict all attempts to displace them have failed. Those who left have regretted their decision. The Palestinian lesson that every generation has learned is the importance of holding on to their land. It would be neither wise nor morally or politically right for Trump to lead an effort to force Palestinians out of their land, in my view. Why is he pushing Mexicans out of America now? He is doing the same thing. I believe this is a serious Crime that will ultimately fail.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“In the Middle East, there are many different views on President Trump during his return from 2016-2020. I believe that Trump has brought positive message during his current administration. He is focused on domestic policy and revitalizing the US economy. He is also interested in peace building in the Middle East, as it has caused quite a bit of instability over the past two decades. I view this as a promising start from President Trump and a positive approach to both the Middle East and future U.S. policy in the region. I am optimistic that if the ideas proposed during his campaign become reality, he will play a big role in achieving global peace, especially in my opinion if he ends the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“and control. While community management demands a totally different approach, I don't rule society with military theories. It is a civilian matter that involves distinct methods and tools, unlike military tactics.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Given the challenge we have been through, if we hadn't maintained those values, we wouldn't be where we are today. For example, when we were advancing towards Damascus through Aleppo, Hama and Homs, we had a big force of fighters, and Syria was deeply divided due to the regime's actions. A major issue could have easily arisen. Putting national peace at great risk. If there hadn't been control and respect for leadership decisions, people might have taken actions that would have harmed the public and destabilized social order. I had multiple responsibilities, including military leadership and community management. Military leadership requires a high level of discipline.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Persons can't really evaluate themselves, it's better to leave judgment to others than to speak about one's own qualities. I like work to be done well, and for those doing it, to be conscious of their responsibilities. It is not about control. Every task needs to be guided by strong moral values”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I have one wife, although the media often says I have more, but I have just one, and I have three children. We have shared living through hardships, but I made sure to shield them from any potential danger. Before we entered Damascus, I kept any information about them private, as the situation was tough. The war was still ongoing and security concerns required extreme caution.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Certainly, in the position I hold today, my family will naturally be part of the picture. I don't mean they will be involved in the work itself, but people have the right to know who my family is, who my children are, and how we live, the requirements of the presidency in Syria today are different from just managing Idlib, and I believe this is a part of the role.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Each stage has its own circumstances. In Idlib, I engaged openly with people managing their affairs and meeting all segments of society. So I was a political figure then too, though not to the extent that I am now in Damascus. As you know, there is a different discourse in times of war and in times of peace. It depends on the circumstances and what is needed and what is required of people in each state.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Established all the institutions in Idlib that we would need, and we fully prepared ourselves for government. In terms of security and institutions and services, I was certain that a day would come when we would be in Damascus. Two or three years ago I would say in my speech that we would enter Damascus and Aleppo, and I would say this wasn't just to raise morale. I was speaking based on data. I relied on data to analyze our own strength. The social cohesion we had in Idlib and combred that with the regime situation, its economic collapse, societal fragmentation, and the condition of its army, as well as the interference of foreign countries inside the government.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“A temporary parliament will be formed, and this parliament will establish a constitutional committee to draft the new constitution.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Syria is going through many stages. The priority was to stabilize the government, to prevent the state institutions from collapsing. We had the Idlib government ready to take over once we seized Damascus. We allowed three months for this. Then we will move to the next phase involving a constitutional declaration, the National Congress, and the appointment of the presidency. We appointed a president through international conventions after consulting constitutional experts. The victorious forces appointed the president, abolished the previous constitution, and dissolved the former parliament. Now we will move to national dialogue, which will involve a wide range of people, leading to recommendations that pave the way for the declaration of a new constitution.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think saying that sitting here with you wouldn't be allowed is a big exaggeration. It's not as bad as that. I used persuasion and dialogue with all these people until we agreed on a proper and suitable formula so that we could live side by side and achieve the goals of the revolution. Many people agreed on this and through experience awareness and extensive dialogue and discussion we reached very positive results without having to fight each other.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“In our region, we are tired of war, and especially in Syria. Humanity cannot live without peace and security. That's what people look for, not war. So, there are many things that can bring people together and lead to peaceful solutions without resorting to fighting. What unites us as humanity in peace is far greater than what divides us in war.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“What is crucial is that policies should be looked at again. Policies need to be reviewed. If we are to avoid making the same mistakes. I often changed my own decisions based on what I saw around me. I saw things happening that I did not like, and I looked again at how we were doing things. I wasn't a big powerful decision maker then, but neither was I just that passionate young man who found himself a member of Al Qaeda. At the same time, Western policies towards the Middle East at that time were the wrong policies and needed to be changed. And we don't want the peoples of the region to bear the consequences of poor decisions, everything years.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Question needs a very long answer. It would take about 10 episodes like this one. I'm willing to have that discussion, but given my current position, a brief answer to such a large question would expose Syria to much criticism. I don't want to put Syria in that situation right now. I'm fully prepared to answer all your questions and also add some points you may not be aware of. But we would need ample time to do”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Was going to be on fighting the regime. I came to Syria with a small group of people, about five or six of us. In a year, this number grew to 5,000, and I had reached across almost all Syrian provinces. Al Qaeda in Iraq were surprised to see that. Then they wanted to do in Syria what they had done in Iraq, which I strongly opposed. This led to a major conflict between us, during which more than 1,200 of my people were killed, and I lost seventy percent of my forces. We regrouped, we stayed focused on fighting the regime, we also had to tackle some threats on the margin from ISIS and groups like that.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Not operate the same way as others. As a result, I came in for criticism from some of the other prisoners who believed in what later became ISIS's ideology. During my time in Iraq, especially while in prison I focused on planning my return to Syria. Even before the revolution began, I took to a few people, particularly some Syrians, who were also in prison. It was by fate that I was released just two days before the Syrian Revolution started. As soon as I could, I quickly made arrangements and went back to Syria. I had set some conditions beforehand first that we would not repeat the Iraq experience in Syria. We wouldn't take part in any kind of sectarian war.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“In Iraq, I was put in prison early on. I was sent to the infamous Abu Rab prison where people were being tortured. Then I moved to Buka prison. After that I was moved to Kropa prison in Baghdad, and finally to Taji prison before being released. So during this tour of prisons, I got to know a lot of people, and I was myself becoming more politically mature. So I came to see that there was a big difference between what I stood for and some of the ideas that I was hearing from other prisoners, which were really shocking to me. I mean, this was at a time when sectarian conflict was causing a lot of problems in Iraq, and I had no part in that at all. Even inside the prisoners.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“To Iraq and worked with various different groups. Eventually, these groups one by one started to shrink and merge into al Qaeda, and that is how I found myself with Al Qaeda. Tell us about life in prison.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“As I mentioned back then, I was 19 years old. So I decided to go to wherever I could gain some experience. This was at the same time that the Americans were preparing to enter Iraq. There was a strong Arab and Islamic reaction against what the Americans were doing. So I had two reasons for going there. First, I saw it as an opportunity to learn and gain valuable experience by witnessing a total war, so that I could return to Syria and benefit from the knowledge I would gain. Secondly, I was driven by the passion and youthful spirit I had to defend the people of Iraq from occupation. You may not understand that, but you have to remember that I was a young man then, and I had a particular mindset.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Generally, there is a strong political culture in Arab societies, but ordinary people have no experience of practical politics because Arab regimes don't let them take part in it, and without that experience, they can't have a correct practical understanding of political reality. Also, in a country like Syria, there wasn't any forum for engaging in practical politics, so that Damascus Spring was born dead.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“and many Palestinians were killed, especially in 2000 and 2001 and 2002. An from a sort of a political family. My father had been a political refugee in Iraq, and he wrote about political issues. For Saudi and Syrian newspapers, we talked about politics in the world.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Family comes originally from the Golan, now occupied by the Israeli state. I was born in Saudi Arabia, I lived in Damascus, then went to Iraq, and finally came back to Syria for the sake of the blessed Syrian revolution. So my life had many stages, and during this journey I was introduced to many ideas. In my childhood, I was like any other child. I lived in a neighborhood that was well off, middle class or upper middle class. I went to elementary school in Damascus, then middle school and high school. After that, during my first hearing in college, war broke out in Iraq. I felt that I had to go there. Our region generally back then was going through a difficult time. This was when the Antifado was happening in occupied Palestine.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I was a fighter, but it wasn't because I wanted to fight. And today I am the president, but it's not because I wanted to be president. Syrians endure terrible oppression for sixty years. During the past fourteen years, their society has been systematically destroyed. People were displaced, murdered, killed with chemical weapons and tortured in the regime's prisons. The regime did not take up on any of the political solutions that were offered to it. It refused to meet any of the people's demands. After things escalated and fighting began, it was offered lots of political solutions from regional countries and the international community, but it refused any political solution and continued to destroy Syrian society.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful. Welcome to Damascus. To begin with, Saudi Arabia is where I was born, and I had always dreamed of going back there. That's at a personal level. Speaking as a head of state, I wanted my first visit to be to a major Arab country, and so when I received an urgent invitation from the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, I took him up on it right away, because I thought it was a good idea for my first visit to be to Saudi Arabia. It's a country with a special status and influence in our region.”
2025-02-10 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 120. The New President of Syria: Trump, Palestine, and having a $10 million bounty on your head (Ahmed al-Sharaa) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source