Last week, Al Majalla covered Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s second visit to the United States in less than two months — this time in Washington, DC — marking the first-ever visit by a Syrian head of state to the White House since the country gained independence. Subhi Franjieh writes a piece titled As Sharaa steps into the White House, Syria steps into the US orbit. In it, he says, “By tightening the relationship between the US and Syria, Washington hopes to deter it from falling back on its historic alliance with Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), and counter any Iranian attempt to regain its foothold in the country.” For his part, Charles Lister examines the surge in cooperation between the two countries, which he states began in May, right after US President Donald Trump announced his intention to lift sanctions on Syria from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And finally, Ibrahim Hamidi interviews the first US official to meet al-Sharaa after the fall of the Assad regime. Barbara Leaf, the former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, explains why al-Sharaa’s White House visit is a moment she could have never imagined.

Meanwhile, as the US announced the launch of Operation Southern Spear against so-called “narco-terrorists,” many speculate that the real aim is to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power. Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra profiles the man in the hot seat, his rise to power, and prospects for the future.

Switching gears, Alfred J. Naddaf asks, Is support for Israel becoming toxic at the ballot box? explaining that Zohran Mamdani’s embrace of Palestinian rights actually helped, and not hurt, him at the ballot box. In his piece, he says, “As Americans rethink the moral—and strategic—calculus of US support for Israel, politicians are scrambling to keep pace.” Meanwhile, writing from the ground in the occupied West Bank, Mohammed Najib explains how Israel’s Olive War aims to uproot more than trees. In his piece, he states, “The olive tree is no longer just a source of sustenance for Palestinians, but a silent witness to their profound struggle between permanence and erasure.”

Onto Gaza, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy explains why The US draft resolution on Trump's Gaza Plan falls short. In his piece, he says, “Amendments are needed to avoid cementing the very divisions that have made peace elusive for generations. On Friday, Russia proposed just that.” Meanwhile, writing from Gaza, Houssam Maarouf speaks to Palestinian artists who explain why they feel compelled to keep creating despite the death and destruction surrounding them.

And Houssam Itani pens a piece titled Class wars loom as wealth gap widens." In it, he states, “Contempt for the poor by the world's wealthy, combined with the growing angst and anger of the have-nots, is giving rise to a new era—one driven by unadulterated power, big-tech, and profound crises.” Meanwhile, Marco Mossad’s piece HUMAIN: artificial intelligence with a Saudi imprint looks at the new Saudi company playing a significant role in advancing and coordinating national initiatives related to data centres, cloud infrastructure, and the acceleration of AI adoption across key sectors.

Al Majalla also covered COP30 in Brazil. Alaa Emara writes, “For the first time, the United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in an Amazonian city,” asking, “Can its position at the heart of the climate crisis lead to tangible action?” Read his article to find out. And last but not least, Nesrein El-Bakhshawangy speaks to acclaimed British author Andrew Millar, who explains why he falls back on silence. In the interview, he recounts how he recreated the most bitter winter in living memory, and the way it shaped modernity.