Welcome to The World in 10.
In an increasingly uncertain world, this is The Times' daily podcast dedicated to global security.
Today with me, Laura Cook and Stuart Willey.
Donald Trump has now finished up his tour of the Middle East,
a trip marked by lavish ceremonies and big money deals.
But away from all the fanfare, it's Mr Trump's meeting with a prescribed terrorist,
now president of Syria, that may be the most surprising and consequential event of the trip.
Trump described President Ahmed al-Shara as a young,
attractive guy and announced the end of all sanctions on Damascus.
With us to talk through the implications is Elliot Abrams,
the longtime Washington insider and veteran of the Reagan, Bush and first Trump administrations.
He's now a senior Middle East fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
Elliot, Syria has been sanctioned by the United States for almost 50 years now.
How big a deal was Trump's meeting with Shara and the end of all sanctions?
It is a very big deal, not only with Syria's sanction.
Al-Sharra was personally sanctioned.
It was a bounty of, if I remember correctly, $10 million on his head as of last year.
I think most people expected there would be an effort to improve relations that went slowly.
you know, a whole series, a year of meetings.
And why don't you do X?