Taking the stage at a political forum in New York City for an interview, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and retired four-star United States General David Petraeus have acknowledged the peculiarity of the situation. Al-Sharaa, who overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad and ended his family’s 50-year rule of Syria in a blazing military offensive late last year, has been president since January. Petraeus later served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Later in the interview, he showed concern for the Syrian leader’s personal wellbeing, asking whether he is getting enough sleep. “We cannot judge the past based on the rules of today and cannot judge today based on the rules of the past,” the Syrian president said.