Syria's democratic opposition of 2011 was a loosely allied group and struggled with ideological, political, and ethnic divisions, resulting in a lack of unified leadership and goals. The rise of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia and its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Julani, has overshadowed the original democratic opposition. HTS, rooted in a Salafi-jihadist ideology, is likely to establish a Sunni Islamist state governed by its own interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. The Kurdish hopes of autonomy in northeastern Syria are also at risk due to Turkey's opposition to a Kurdish quasi-state ruled by the Democratic Union Party. The original Syrian democratic opposition still exists in a fragmented form, but its chances of claiming a seat at the negotiating table for Syria's future are uncertain.