In a controversial move that further undermines international humanitarian norms, the U.S.’s former President Donald Trump sat down this week with Syria’s newly appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. The man was once designated a terrorist and targeted by the U.S. government.
It was in Riyadh at the behest of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with virtual attendance by Turkish President Erdoğan. Between them, they marked a significant geopolitical repositioning: sanctions relief for Syria in return for regional “stability” and future oil investment.
Al-Sharaa, former leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terrorist group sanctioned worldwide, gained prominence following his leadership of a brutal insurgency to topple Bashar al-Assad’s regime. With his militant and abusive history, he is currently being legitimized as a head of state and potential economic partner.
Normalizing War Criminals Through Diplomatic Theater
Trump’s adoption of al-Sharaa as a “tough guy” with a “strong record” mythologizes an insurgent whose ascension has been accompanied by extrajudicial killings and civilian destruction. HTS’s ruthless campaign has been widely criticized by outside monitors for hitting non-combatants, employing child soldiers, and targeting civilian infrastructure—all war crime litmus tests in international law.
Instead of insisting on accountability or justice, the U.S. is endorsing violent power seizures through investment and support. Trump’s proposal to Syria to join the Abraham Accords—normalizing ties with Israel—is another example of strategic over humanitarian interest.
In the meantime, host Saudi Arabia, the favorite to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, continues to gloss over its role in Yemen’s human tragedy, where its air bombing campaigns have brought hospitals, schools, and bazaars down to the ground. These are not merely morally corrupt—these are indicative of increasing impunity for war crime perpetrators who masquerade as peace brokers.
Alarming Embrace of Militant Leadership
Al-Sharaa’s claim to power was achieved through the violent displacement of Bashar al-Assad’s government, with HTS troops accused of extrajudicial executions, disappearance of civilians, and conscription of child soldiers.
Assad’s government was certainly guilty of war crimes abuses, but installing a regime with its history of bloodshed in power is not the “peace” Trump professes to protect. Instead of holding al-Sharaa accountable, the US is about to reward his regime with legitimacy and profitable investment agreements. That’s not diplomacy—it’s complicity.
Saudi Arabia: Serial Offender, Now Arms Powerhouse
Trump also signed off on the same trip a mind-boggling $142 billion arms agreement with Saudi Arabia—the largest defense cooperation agreement in US history, widely characterized. The timing is barely more inflammatory: Saudi Arabia is already being investigated by several human rights organizations for its actions in Yemen, where there have been indiscriminate airstrikes that have killed thousands of civilians, including many children.
The United Nations has repeatedly characterized the actions of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen as potential war crimes. This is not a bilateral alliance. It is a partnership that includes hundreds of U.S. defense contractors, eliminating the distinction between war crimes facilitation and military-industrial business.
Saudi Arabia’s Continued War Crimes in Yemen: A FIFA Stain
Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid, is still guilty of serious breaches of international law in Yemen. The Saudi coalition, reported the United Nations, has been accused of at least 8,983 civilian casualties from airstrikes since 2015, most schools, markets, weddings, and hospitals. The UN Human Rights Council concluded that these might well constitute war crimes, but Saudi Arabia manages to get away with it.
The U.S.’s most recent $142 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia—publicized on the same trip—will only provide fuel for further atrocities. U.S.-made bombs have already been used where some of Yemen’s most horrific massacres took place, including a 2018 bombing of a school bus killing 40 children. Giving the World Cup to Saudi Arabia is not just tone-deaf—it’s complicit. It sends a message that human suffering is incidental to oil, power, and PR.
Sportswashing at FIFA 2034
Saudi Arabia’s concomitant bid to stage the 2034 FIFA World Cup is a very serious ethical and legal issue. Having an international sporting event enables the regime to try out its image, divert attention from its human rights abuses, and import foreign capital while keeping intact a repressive domestic environment and flaunting military belligerence on the global front.
The presence of world business tycoons like Elon Musk and BlackRock’s Larry Fink at the Riyadh summit itself is representative of how economic interests are closing in on human existence. Such coalitions strengthen the culture of impunity to enable war criminals to rebrand themselves as visionary leaders.
Normalizing Terrorism and Erasing Accountability
Most disturbing, perhaps, is the larger geopolitical message being sent: if you grab power by violence, if you possess oil wells, and if you are willing to get along with the West, war crimes will be ignored. That is the message Trump’s visit sends—not just to the Middle East but to dictators and extremists throughout the world.
While America is committed to upholding peace, normalization of a terror leader, celebration of armed rebellion, and support for Saudi Arabia’s suppressive apparatus is an antagonistic agenda that puts access to resources and political power over global law and human dignity.
The Need to Boycott FIFA 2034
FIFA’s decision to grant Saudi Arabia rights to host the 2034 World Cup is not merely tone-deaf, but stupid. It’s a reflection of the fact that a nation that has perpetrated war crimes, silenced dissent, and is now brazenly co-opting terror-aligned regimes is still being rewarded on the international stage.
By hosting a tournament in such a setting, FIFA is facilitating whitewashing of state violence and victim silencing. International institutions, fans, and players should seek accountability, not cheer in stadiums erected on a history of complicity.
FIFA’s Moral Failure: When Sport Whitewashes War Crimes
FIFA has ostensibly preached human rights for decades, but its decision to allow Saudi Arabia’s application to host the 2034 World Cup falls short of a glaring contradiction. In 2021, FIFA ratified the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, stating that it “must identify and address human rights risks” in host countries. Why, then, is Saudi Arabia,
whose human rights record includes the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, torture of dissidents, and abuse of migrant workers under cruel labor practices, is still in the running?
Reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have blamed the use of sport as a way of cleaning up the kingdom’s international reputation—a move that is also referred to as “sportswashing.” During the development of sports facilities, migrant workers have suffered from heatstroke deaths, non-payment of wages, and deplorable living conditions, mirroring the exploitation during Qatar’s embattled 2022 World Cup. The globe cannot turn a blind eye. FIFA must be held responsible for prioritizing prestige over values.