AFP looks at the main challenges facing Sharaa, whose Islamist-led coalition toppled longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad on December 8.
After ousting Assad, Sharaa has had to navigate four political entities, each with their own civil, economic, judicial and military organisation: the central government in Damascus, the incumbent president’s former rebel authority in the northwest, Turkey-backed groups in the north, and a Kurdish-led autonomous administration in the northeast.
But guaranteeing the success of the five-year transitional phase will be “the most difficult challenge”, Ziadeh said.
More than 1,700 people were killed in the coastal violence, mostly members of the Alawite minority to which Assad belongs, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. The clashes near Damascus involved the Druze minority.
Badran Ciya Kurd, a senior official in the Kurdish-led administration in the northeast which seeks a decentralised Syrian state, warned against “security and military solutions” to political issues.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last month that Syrian authorities could be weeks away from a “full-scale civil war” due to the acute challenges they faced.
Security
The recent bouts of sectarian violence have raised concerns over Sharaa’s ability to keep radical fighters among his forces’ ranks in check.
Six foreign fighters have been promoted in the new defence ministry, sparking international criticism. A Syrian source with knowledge of the matter said however that Damascus had told the United States it would freeze the promotions.
Economy, diplomacy
Under the new authorities, Syria has seen an increased availability of fuel and goods including certain fruits whose import had previously been near impossible.
Economist Karam Shaar said that beyond political stability which is essential for economic growth, other obstacles include “the regulatory framework and the set of laws necessary for investment, which unfortunately seem vague in many parts”.
Rehabilitating Syria’s infrastructure is key to encouraging millions of refugees to return home, a major demand from neighbouring countries and others in Europe.
According to Quilliam, Damascus is “light years away from considering normalisation” with Israel -- a prospect pushed by Washington, after several other Arab states have done so in recent years.
Syria has admitted it held indirect talks with Israel, but the government has avoided taking a stance on normalisation.
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