DLNews Politics:

From Most Wanted to Most Welcomed: Washington’s Latest Miracle of Amnesia

WASHINGTON — Once upon a time, the United States offered a $10 million reward for his capture. Now, he’s shaking hands under the crystal chandeliers of the White House. Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s newly minted “interim president,” arrived in Washington this week to sit face-to-face with President Trump — the man who seems to believe that history is just a matter of good lighting and better timing.

It was a moment dripping with irony even by global-politics standards. A year ago, al-Sharaa was accused of cozying up to Al-Qaeda. This week, he was cozying up to the leader of the free world. “He’s doing a very good job,” Trump declared, the same words once used for a steakhouse manager, now apparently good enough for international diplomacy.

Behind the smiles, sanctions, and a suspiciously quiet Oval Office meeting (no cameras, no questions, just a faint smell of political disinfectant), one could almost hear the world’s collective shrug. After all, who’s keeping score anymore? Yesterday’s pariah is today’s partner — as long as he promises to “create peace worldwide” or at least pose nicely for a photo op.

Al-Sharaa, who toppled Assad’s decades-long dynasty in record time, now finds himself playing basketball with Pentagon generals and pitching billion-dollar reconstruction dreams. The World Bank says Syria needs $216 billion; Washington’s checkbook, however, comes with fine print thicker than the Bible.

In the grand theater of modern politics, the scene feels familiar: redemption, rebranding, and a quick round of applause before the next scandal rolls in. Somewhere between bounty posters and White House invitations, global corruption found its ultimate punchline — everyone’s in the game, and truth no longer keeps score.

In today’s diplomacy, it’s not who you were — it’s who’s willing to forget.