Several tropes have emerged around Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's first visit to the UK , some shaped by Islamophobic discourse about his past, and others reflecting deep divisions within the country.
There have been massacres on the coast and in Suweida, ongoing distrust within the Syrian-Kurdish community about the new government, continued bitterness among remnants of the former regime, and understandable concerns from activists about the future of Syrian democracy.
Both opponents and supporters of the interim president gathered outside Chatham House on Wednesday evening before Sharaa spoke with director and CEO Bronwen Maddox about the prospects for Syria amid a period of great turmoil and uncertainty in the region.
Given the challenges that Sharaa has faced over the years, the small group of detractors haranguing him as he arrived at St James’s Square were the least of his concerns, although it was a different experience for the restless audience inside.
"Your faces look as if they have been waiting. Please cheer up," he joked, before apologising for the hour-long delay and starting proceedings.
Sharaa has become increasingly adept at using candour, charm, and a heavy dose of wit to bat off questions he would prefer not to answer, something that agitated politicians in London could learn from when responding to journalists' difficult questions.
When Maddox asked if, as the father of a daughter, he could imagine a future where a woman would lead Syria, Sharaa avoided committing to a response that might provide ammunition for any political faction.
"First of all, I think anyone who would be involved in public affairs realises it is a big responsibility and I would not wish this on my children," he retorted.
Despite relatively minor protests from opponents during his visits to the UK and Germany this week, Sharaa has received a much warmer reception from the Syrian diaspora overall.
He is respected by many for liberating Syria from the tyrannical Assad regime, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of Syrians to visit the country for the first time in years, despite many remaining highly sceptical about his leadership. Yet the return of Syrians from Europe is a process that should not be rushed, he said, and denied reports that he had agreed to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's supposed plan for 80 percent of Germany's Syrian population to return to their homeland within the next three years.
"I did not say this; it was said by others, by the chancellor. He said that the return of the refugees is directly linked to the reconstruction of Syria. Countries received (Syrian) refugees, and we thank them for this, but we should not do this by just sending people on aeroplanes back (to Syria)," he said.
"This process must be managed well, the generosity of those countries must not be treated negatively, refugees have a right to return voluntarily and with dignity."
Now that the corrupt and brutal Assad regime is gone, Syria is an infinitely more appealing place for its diaspora and foreign businesses, but the country still faces myriad issues - from crime and destroyed infrastructure to a lack of homes and jobs for Syrians to return to.
The reconstruction of Syria will likely rely heavily on the EU for funding and investment, and Sharaa believes that when the conditions are right, Syrians will return to the country with all the skills, connections, and business acumen they have accrued over their years in exile.
"(They have) learned the way of work of the Western companies, and when those companies invest in Syria and start business in Syria, they would have a priority of employing those people," he said.
"If we have the right circumstances, I would guarantee that 80 percent of the people would return to Syria."
But the country’s future relies not only on investment and domestic stability but also on the actions of a range of actors in Syria's neighbourhood.
Chiefly, this means Israel, which remains highly hostile to the new government and continues to expand deeper into Syrian territory, as well as Iran, which supported the former Assad regime with money and manpower, and departed with a cloud of distrust between the two countries .
"We do not have a problem with Iran in Tehran, we have a problem with Iran in Damascus… but our policy in Syria was clear - to reach Damascus, to safeguard security, and to establish economic development. We have been patient in regard to the relationship with Iran," he said.
"Israel dealt with Syria negatively by bombing locations, making incursions into Syrian territories, and violating the 1974 agreement (between Israel and Syria)... we tried dialogue via indirect negotiations, and then direct negotiations, we reached good points, but then the Israelis changed their opinion at the last minute."
Regarding Syrian authorities' efforts to prevent weapons smuggling to Hezbollah, he said such measures were not due to Israeli pressure but due to the government’s desire to protect Syria's borders, a particularly important issue given the Lebanese movement's role in supporting the Assad regime during the war.
He said that after leading Syria’s rebels to victory, it is his mission to ensure the country is not dragged into conflict again, particularly with the threat of Iran and Israel’s war spilling into his country’s borders.
"We had enough war, we paid a large bill, and we are not ready for another war experience. Those who have been in war know the value of peace, we are trying to support the Syrian economy, work on reconstruction, receive the refugees who were displaced from Syria, and then transform Syria into an economic location utilising its strategic geopolitical location in the region," he said.
"We want Syria to have ideal relationships with the entire region, with Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, and… Saudi Arabia, and world powers like the UK, France, Germany, and the US."
So how does a wartime rebel commander become a peacetime national leader?
For Sharaa, he says the hardships he and his family endured as a fighter mean he is sensitive to the futility of needless conflict and feels the conditions that attracted him to Al-Qaeda in Iraq are no longer present.
"There were historical circumstances that the region suffered from, then it was subject to a lot of wars that didn't have any explanation for the youth, and the difficulties led people to different circumstances," he said.
"I did not agree with Al-Qaeda policies; if I did, I would have continued with them, so I was keen for this not to go back to Syria."
Yet the post-war political process has been criticised for being deeply flawed, protests have erupted over socially conservative legislation , and there are concerns that Syria is drifting into one-man rule again.
"Of course," Sharaa responded when asked whether Syria would have free elections within five years of his becoming president. "The mission of the president is to apply the laws rather than impose them on people."