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For observers of the Syrian scene, a striking development has taken place in recent days. An article published in Al Jazeera Arabic by Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan, senior advisor to President Ahmad al-Sharaa, has sparked debate. The article argued that the time had come to dissolve the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria. This statement carries weight because Zaidan is a figure well-versed in Islamic movements and has conducted extensive research on them. His remarks are not solely tied to the Brotherhood’s shifting positions in the Middle East after the Arab Spring. Rather, as I have often emphasized in my own writings, they are closely connected to the rise of a new Gulf-centered political culture. In Syria as well, there are demands to follow the path of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. President Sharaa prioritizes an economy-driven development model and technocratic governance. It is safe to say that he is encouraged by the direction taken in Saudi Arabia.
On the other side of this story, Saudi Arabia itself dismantled the Sahwa movement, which was a local expression and organization of the Muslim Brotherhood. In this sense, Zaidan’s message seems partly rooted in adopting the Saudi experience. It also signals that Syria is inclined to follow a Saudi-style model of development and modernization.
Last week, Sharaa told a delegation of Arab journalists that religion-based and nationalist politics have failed across the Middle East. This can be read as a sign of consensus within the Syrian leadership.
When it comes to Zaidan’s article, several key developments deserve careful attention. As he himself emphasized, he is a former member of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. And as President Sharaa has underlined, Syria is now entering a new phase of state-building. For this reason, it can be said that there is no longer a need for identities that compete with or provide alternatives to the state. At the same time, it should be added that the new Syrian leadership believes the political equation they have established is delicate. In this new balance, internal conflicts among faith-driven movements could seriously damage the process of state formation. In the end, the Brotherhood’s continued presence could become a rallying point for those dissatisfied with the new government. This represents the domestic dimension of developments for the new Syria.
Other aspects, however, are linked to the new geopolitics that emerged after the Arab Spring. Efforts to remove the Muslim Brotherhood from Arab politics have accelerated in a coordinated fashion across the region. This has given fresh momentum to efforts aimed at isolating the Brotherhood. At the same time, in the Gulf Arab region, the Brotherhood has increasingly been framed as a national security threat. The new leadership in Syria urgently needs political stability and broad financial support to rebuild the country. At this point, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stand out as the two key actors. Since the change of leadership in Syria on Dec. 8, Saudi interest in the country has steadily grown.
In addition to providing financing and investing in various sectors, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played an active role during U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s visit to the Gulf in pushing for the lifting of sanctions on Syria. The momentum Saudi diplomacy has gained in Syria is significant from their perspective as well. Instability in Lebanon ultimately poses a national security challenge for Saudi Arabia. For this reason, political stability, a strong state, and a functioning economy in Syria are fully aligned with the Gulf’s strategic objectives.
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The question of how the Muslim Brotherhood’s post–Arab Spring split between Istanbul and London will shape a common stance toward the events in Syria is also significant. Yet it is clear that in the Middle East, a form of nationalism, or a sense of national identity that emphasizes local dynamics and prioritizes the state, is gaining strength.
Syria faces a long, difficult, and complex political process. Beyond that, the regional geopolitical landscape has been reshaped in the aftermath of Oct. 7. Iran is weakening, the Gulf Arab states are on the rise, President Trump and the United States are once again becoming the dominant power in the region, while Israel is attempting to forge a new balance of power. Türkiye, meanwhile, is advancing toward becoming a dynamic power center by aligning its post–Arab Spring role with its growing defense industry.
The Muslim Brotherhood, for its part, is searching for a new path forward in both Egypt and Syria. This search cannot be separated from the recent campaigns launched against the Brotherhood in Jordan.
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