As 2024 winds to a close, Al Majalla takes stock of the year’s seismic events, from the return of Trump—dubbed ‘the greatest political comeback in history’—to the fall of Assad and the rise of the far right in Europe. Christopher Phillips reviews some of 2024’s most consequential developments.

In Culture, Areej Jamal selected 10 exceptional Arab and international films in 2024 that restored faith in the role of cinema in analysing and helping audiences process the chaos and destruction unfolding around them. For his part, Ibrahim Adel chose 20 novels in 2024 that reflect Arabic literature’s rich diversity.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Hamidi sat down for an exclusive interview with United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Commission General Philippe Lazzarini, who says he is ‘very engaged in bringing UNRWA within a potential framework for a two-state solution because I strongly believe that being involved will help protect the critical services we provide for Palestinian refugees during the political roadmap transition period.’ Commenting on the dire situation in north Gaza, he said, “There seems to be an intent on the part of Israel to push out Palestinians from the north of Gaza.”

For his part, Arash Azizi asks the question What does Trump want from Iran? In his piece, he says, “Unlike what many pro-Trump opponents of the Iranian regime, there is little reason to believe he'd like to topple Tehran’s rulers.”

Switching gears, Kaswar Klasra warns that recent US sanctions on Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme could push it to diversify its alliances, adding that Islamabad could turn to Beijing and Moscow as the US cosies up to India and deprioritises its relationship with Pakistan after it withdrew from Afghanistan.

And Kamal Alam looks at the Taliban’s experience in Afghanistan and offers up some important lessons for Syria’s new leadership. In his piece, The road from Kandahar to Damascus, he says, “Al-Jolani has a chance to learn from the Taliban's mistakes. The decisions he now makes will have major consequences for Syria's future and that of the region.”

For his part, Haid Haid asks the question: Will Western engagement help or hinder Syria’s transition? In his piece, he says, “How visiting Western delegations navigate Syria’s delicate web of power dynamics will determine whether they contribute to a peaceful and inclusive transition—or deepen the country’s fractures.”

And speaking of fractures, Amr Emam warns that geopolitical faultlines have already begun to show in a post-Assad region. He says, “Key regional powers—Türkiye, Iran and Egypt—do not see eye to eye over what transpired in Syria. One emerges as a winner, the other a loser, and Syria's new Islamist-leaning leaders unsettle the third.”

For his part, Abdulfattah Khattab looks at the challenging road ahead in his piece titled Syria begins to piece together a country and economy in ruins. He says, “A decade-long civil war caused Syria’s GDP to fall by 86%, leaving 69% of its people impoverished. Regime change brings hope for an economy once one of the strongest in the Middle East.”

However, fixing the economy is not the only challenge going forward; the issues of justice and accountability are set to play a major role in determining the success of Syria’s transition. In an exclusive interview with Al Majalla, Mazen Darwish, the head of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, says: “While the idea of forgiveness—a general amnesty—may seem noble in essence, it could have catastrophic consequences,” adding that "Assad should be publicly tried in Syria."

This warning came as some armed elements of Syria’s new transitional leadership have independently sought retribution for crimes committed by the now-toppled Assad regime, attacking and even summarily executing former regime members, predominately from the minority Alawite sect. As these troubling developments unfold, Sami Moubayed examines the political history of Alawites in pre-Baath Syria and debunks what he calls a “huge misconception” that Syria's Alawite community was a major benefactor of the Assad regime.