Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has won major diplomatic victories since seizing power nine months ago, but he risks losing the battle that matters most: to hold his deeply divided country together.

In Syria¡¯s northeast, Kurdish forces are resisting integration into the state after 14 years of civil war, and are demanding a new constitution to recognize their rights. In the southeast, members of the Druze community are openly calling for independence after violent clashes with government forces.

And, in Syria¡¯s northwest, a leader of the Alawite community says al-Sharaa¡¯s administration threatens its survival after Sunni militants affiliated to the government massacred hundreds of civilians there in March.