Arming proxies and launching pre-emptive strikes was Iran's 'forward strategy' model since the devastating Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88. Then, from October 2023, Israel copied it. A recipe for disaster?

Geir Pedersen condemns Israeli strikes and urges genuine dialogue between Syrian authorities and the local Druze community in Sweida.

Tel Aviv does not want a military power led by former Islamists on its doorstep, so is throwing a protective missile system around Syria's minorities, whether they want it or not. Will it backfire?

Al Majalla spoke to a seasoned diplomat who helped shape American policy on the Middle East during Joe Biden's presidency, asking her about Syria, US engagement, Iran, and Palestine.

The burning of weapons from the banned PKK group of armed Kurdish separatists after members voted to dissolve it could be the closure some need. But will the door stay closed?

Western governments' preoccupation with hard power likely means their soft power will increasingly decline at the expense of other actors in the multipolar world

While sham elections have been seen before, a genuinely representative elected legislature has not. The opportunity is huge, and early signs are good, but there are still far too many questions.

In a wide-ranging interview, the German scholar and former UN envoy offers a sobering assessment of the conflict's trajectory.

The autonomous Kurdish-led group in Syria's north-east has been protected by the US for a decade, but the move now is towards integration with Damascus. Unfortunately, the SDF has not got the memo.

America's political duopoly seems ironclad, having last been broken by Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Several have tried since, but none have succeeded. Can America's richest man break the mould?