HTS leader Jolani goes primetime: What happened to 'terrorists' being the 'villains'?

HTS leader Jolani’s CNN interview is part of a broader trend of US media and government selectively rebranding violent groups when politically convenient. The same pattern played out with al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters in the 80s and 90s. As HTS shifts from an al-Qaeda offshoot to a 'freedom-fighting' militia, the deeper story is one of strategic hypocrisy.