The movement has been banned before but has always adapted to the circumstances to survive. After its latest proscription, the pen may become the group's foremost enemy.

Abdullah Al-Judaya

A former spy chief and a billionaire cousin of Bashar al-Assad are plotting sectarian strife from the Moscow exile. It won't work, despite the raging and the millions being spent. Syria has moved on.

Alia Mansour

For the first time in a long time, Syrians are looking to the future with a renewed sense of hope that had been stifled for decades

Ibrahim Hamidi

If 2025 demonstrated the promise of transition, the coming year is when the hard work of reform, justice and accountability must begin. Syrians want more than promises; they want results.

Haid Haid

The prospects of a breakthrough remain bleak as Putin blames Europe for sabotaging a 28-point peace plan agreed on with the US

Con Coughlin

The country's leadership appears directionless and confused. But make no mistake, this is dysfunction by design.

Houssam Itani

Israel's prime minister continues to pick fights in his northern neighbour for personal political reasons, despite Washington and the Arab world wanting Syria to succeed

Alia Mansour

Israel's aggression and territorial expansion have become a political, financial, and moral burden, as they have on its Western government allies, who find it increasingly difficult to defend

Majed Kayali

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's US visit in November was far from 'business as usual'. Riyadh wants something binding.

Ibrahim Hamidi

The Russian president, who has made steady gains on the battlefield since launching his war in 2022, must now decide if he's ready for peace

Con Coughlin

Fear, mistrust, and resentment, coupled with the intense foreign pressure on the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, are setting the country up for implosion

Houssam Itani

Seeking to deflect from his domestic crises, the Israeli prime minister continues to provoke instability

Alia Mansour