The Arab League's decision to readmit Syria to the Arab League and its institutions after more than a decade of suspension and President Bashar al-Assad's attendance at the Arab summit in Jeddah on 19 May, and his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman, are significant steps that mark a turning point in the relationship with Damascus.
While this doesn't signal a complete end to the crisis, it constitutes an important juncture. After being sidelined for a decade and its people largely forgotten, Syria is now back in focus.
Amid Syria's return, we are reminded of its people's ambitions and aspirations, as well as their wounds and sorrows. Al Majalla takes note of the apprehension of the Arab world toward Syria, as well as the Syrian people of their own government.
The sheer significance of these recent developments has warranted Al Majalla to dedicate its cover story to the Syrian issue for its June edition.
Related events
This month also commemorates several significant events related to Syria, including the "June Naksa (setback)" on 5 June 1967, when Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights, and the death of President Hafez al-Assad on 19 June 2000, which marked the transfer of power to his son Bashar 23 years ago.
Al Majalla will examine the Arab and Western roles in the Syrian conflict in their entirety including related gambles, failures, successes, as well as future challenges.
We begin by reviewing the Arab role and the stages of Syrian developments from 2011 to 2023.
Read more
- Syria timeline: War, displacement, isolation and now...reintegration
- Will Syria’s return to the Arab fold strengthen Arab unity?
- Syria's return: Addressing wounds and aspirations
- Khaddam memoirs detail run-up and aftermath of Hafez al-Assad's death
- Obama’s hesitation in Syria: The red line that never was
- Our haunting tour of Hama during the onset of Syria's uprising
- Syria's Kurds offer solution for Syria
- The astronomical $700bn price tag of Syria's war
- UN Envoy to Syria: Arab normalisation presents unique opportunity that must be seized
- Does al-Assad hold the keys to dismantling the Captagon trade?
- How the Caesar Act restricts normalisation with Syria
- From refugees to crippling poverty, a look at Syria's never-ending humanitarian crisis
- What working with refugees taught me
