WANA (Dec 08) – “The Zelensky of deprived regions!” This is perhaps the most striking description for the rebranding of Abu Mohammad al-Joulani. A decade ago, Joulani donned camouflage, wore a turban, sported a long beard with sharply trimmed mustaches, embodying the archetypal figure of Sunni jihadist Islamist leaders—from Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda to the black-clad leaders of ISIS.

 

Now, however, his beard is neatly trimmed, and his mustache no longer as short. He opts for sneakers, khaki trousers, and an olive-green, two-pocket shirt—a color that, in recent years, has been jokingly referred to as “Zelensky green.”

 

This former Al-Qaeda and ISIS fighter and the leader of the once-terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra now sits across from CNN, a U.S.-based media outlet. CNN is fully aware that its country’s State Department still designates Joulani and his group as terrorists.

Yet, they engage him, listening to his rhetoric on respecting minorities and relying on the people for governance in post-war Syria—values that sound remarkably democratic.

 

In essence, Joulani is positioned to advance Turkey’s Islamist and Ikhwani (Muslim Brotherhood-inspired) agenda under Erdogan’s leadership. Strategically, the West and the U.S. may not fully align with him, but pragmatically, on the ground, they see temporary utility in using him to preoccupy Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah, disrupting Iran’s regional projects.

For now, Joulani can be a convenient tool to further their agenda. But there’s a small problem. The only active jihadist leader in the region with any real power is someone who was previously a terrorist Islamist militant, a disruptor of the civilized world, with a U.S. State Department bounty on his head.

 

Thus, he must shed his former image to gain acceptance in public opinion and the global media of the “civilized world.” This is where the Zelensky elixir comes into play, transforming Joulani’s “lead” into “gold” for the modern West. Who is Zelensky, after all?

He represents NATO and the civilized West in fighting another version of the aggressive, reckless, and irrational East. In the eyes of Western public opinion and politics, he is a guardian and defender of the civilized world. Therefore, “for now,” Joulani must mirror Zelensky to shed his past Eastern and terrorist associations.

 

Neatly trimmed facial hair, laced sneakers, khaki trousers, olive-green shirts, and finally, the CNN camera—the same lens that narrated the civilized world’s perspective during the First and Second Gulf Wars, in the effort to topple another Eastern dictator named Saddam.