12/8/2024

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Have you met Ahmed al-Sharaa? Probably not, since it’s only recently that he has had the confidence to use his real name & to speak without a mask on. As the guy who managed to lead the rebels to oust Assad from Syria, I’m thinking he’s got to be Mr. Charisma. From what I can tell, he’s figured out how to unite a “fractious network of rebel groups with competing interests and goals (WP)” & “embrace pluralism & religious freedom.” Sounds promising.

            From the video I saw on AJ of the streets of Damascus, the citizens are ecstatic. Assad’s army jumped out of their uniforms & are now shooting their AK-47s in the air. The number of guns being wantonly fired is chilling!

            I can’t help but relate the sudden shift in Syria to Burma. It’s a reminder that what seems like a “frozen conflict (WP)” can suddenly thaw. The biggest difference is the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has a charismatic leader (CL), while one has yet to emerge in Burma.

            Do you think a woman like Queen Njinga Mbande could emerge in Burma? I wonder what her special sauce was. She could read the room as she did when meeting with João Correia de Sousa, the Portuguese governor, to negotiate the freedom of her captured people & secure the sovereignty of Ndongo. When no chair was offered to her, she sat on the back of one of her attendants rather than on the floor, to make it clear she was an equal. Clearly, she was a creative leader ready to keep those in power guessing.

The Burmese have shown a willingness to be led by a female so my hope is that in the ensuing months, a creative, energetic & empathetic woman will come forward & lead the EAOs to push Min Aung Hlaing & his crew out of the country with the remaining soldiers jumping out of their uniforms to join the celebration of their liberation.

BYBS,