Metaphors of rupture, legitimization, and renewal in post-Assad Syrian leadership discourse

Abstract

This study examines the first 11 Arabic leadership speeches of Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former jihadist insurgent who became Syria’s transitional president after ousting Bashar al-Assad in 2024. Drawing on Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA), the study analyzes how al-Sharaa employs metaphors to construct rupture with the Assad era, legitimize post-authoritarian leadership, and articulate political renewal. The analysis shows that al-Sharaa draws on metaphorical patterns typical of national and international post-conflict and post-revolutionary discourse to position himself as a pragmatic, collectivist, and service-oriented national leader rather than a jihadist one. The findings support core CMA claims by demonstrating how metaphors are used to persuade, manage accountability, and preserve face, particularly in contexts of evidential uncertainty. The findings also reveal that metaphor use varies with audience and communicative purpose, indicating a situationally adaptive rather than ideologically fixed discourse. As the first systematic analysis of al-Sharaa’s leadership discourse, this study establishes a baseline for tracking shifts in metaphorical framing and ideological positioning as his political authority consolidates.

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