English Newsletter Aug 25

Balancing the competing interests of regional and global stakeholders is no easy task. Can Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa prevent his country from becoming an arena for regional conflict? Read our cover story last week, where our writers, Subhi Franjieh, Elie Kossaifi, Ayad Anbar, among others, give their respective takes from the point of view of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Meanwhile, Ibrahim Hamidi shares exclusive information about the run-up to a series of Israeli strikes on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border.

For his part, Ahmed Maher interviews Pakistan’s UN ambassador, who explains why he believes there is no military solution to the US war on Iran. Meanwhile, Abdelrahman Ayas explains how wars and maritime chokepoints have redrawn the map of oil power. Also, why are bond markets unnerving rich-world politicians? Read Al Majalla’s Business & Economy section for the answer.

Shifting gears to US politics, Aqeel Abbas unpacks the progressive left wave that is sweeping America, while Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra’s piece, Anthony Fauci and the politics of expertise, profiles the man who became the face of America’s Covid-19 response, while also examining the recent scrutiny he has come under for his management of the crisis. Moving southward to Latin America, Hijerra explains how, in her view, China’s trade ties there are becoming political.

For his part, Marco Mossad details Israel's outsized influence on global tech and why that is worrying, while Ben Fishman explains Why Libya needs elections, not another leadership selection. And in Culture, Ibrahim Adel explains how Egyptian writer Ezzat El Kamhawi uses fantasy to escape tragedy in his latest novel, Contrary to What Came Before. And last but not least, Abdullah Al Duhailan reviews four recent Saudi films that tackle the themes of death and renewal, each in their own unique way.