Politics | Al Majalla

Syria’s neighbours want it to have security, but on their terms

In Türkiye for talks and a conference, Syria's new president knows that there is much to do and many to satisfy if he is to rebuild his country. Amidst the smiles, those with agendas jostle.

Omer Onhon 16 April 2025

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meeting with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) during the 4th edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2025) in Antalya on April 11, 2025.

AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend a special summit to discuss Ukraine and European defence, in Brussels on March 6, 2025.

REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Europe defence spending, Ukraine support top agenda in Brussels

If Trump's decision to freeze Ukraine aid was aimed at forcing Zelenskyy to enter peace talks, it had the added effect of pushing the EU to review its defence capabilities

Con Coughlin 06, Mar 2025

A member of the M23 armed group monitors access to the border crossing into Rwanda as men believed to be Romanian military contractors pass through in Goma on January 29, 2025.

AFP

Rwanda’s attack on Congo could plunge Africa into war

Advances by Kigali-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo could lead to another major continental conflict

Jason K. Stearns and Kristof Titeca 06, Mar 2025

A Palestinian activist holding a national flag stands by as an Israeli army bulldozer moves during an ongoing raid on the Tulkarm camp for Palestinian refugees in the north of the occupied West Bank.

Zain JAAFAR / AFP

West Bank Palestinians suffer largest forced displacement in decades

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been pushed out of refugee camps in the northern West Bank as Israeli settlers grab more and more land

Ahmed Draghmeh 05, Mar 2025

Palestinians gather for a communal iftar, or fast-breaking meal, on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, amid building rubble in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 1, 2025.

AFP

Competing visions for a post-war Gaza

The cyclical nature of the conflict and Israel's occupation continue to shape regional and international outlooks

Ahmed Maher 03, Mar 2025

Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov, flanked by Palestinian Hamas fighters, smiles after being released along with two others as part of the seventh hostage-prisoner exchange, in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, on February 22, 2025.

Bashar TALEB / AFP

Any plan for Gaza must ensure Hamas can't reconstitute

One idea is to create humanitarian zones where Palestinians —excluding Hamas—can live safely. Israel would then give Hamas leaders the choice of leaving Gaza or facing Israelis outside of these areas.

Dennis Ross 03, Mar 2025

Matthew Zweig, one of the architects of the Caesar Act

Caesar Act architect: Lifting Syria sanctions is "complicated"

The US levied swingeing sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's regime for torturing and killing thousands. Matt Zweig, who helped draft it, speaks to Al Majalla about its details and future.

Ibrahim Hamidi 02, Mar 2025

(COMBO) US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2025.

SAUL LOEB / AFP

Trump and Zelenskyy have an Oval Office smackdown

Trump has been trying to strong-arm Ukraine for years, but it's not getting any prettier

Keith Johnson 01, Mar 2025

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump shake hands during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House, February 27, 2025 in Washington, DC, US.

Carl Court / REUTERS

Trump softens Ukraine rhetoric following Starmer meeting

Trump says a ceasefire will be agreed "soon" or "won't be at all" and said he respected Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian military, which "had fought very bravely"

Con Coughlin 28, Feb 2025

Palestinian women cry as killed members of the Abu Taha family are brought for burial outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis following Israeli bombardment east of the city in the southern Gaza Strip on July 22, 2024.

Bashar TALEB / AFP

Israel’s actions strike at the foundations of international law

Only collective state action can end impunity

Cyril Ramaphosa, Anwar Ibrahim, Gustavo Petro, Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla 27, Feb 2025

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses representatives and dignitaries of Syrian communities during the National Dialogue Conference called for by the country's new authorities in Damascus on February 25, 2025.

AFP

I attended Syria's National Dialogue. These are my impressions.

The conference marked a significant step in Syria's long and arduous journey toward rebuilding a devastated country

Sami Moubayed 27, Feb 2025

Popular
Editor's Pick

Julian D. Paulsen

Business & Economy

How countries should respond to Trump’s tariffs

12 April 2025

A 90-day pause on tariffs does not mean countries can now sit back and relax. From lying low to outright retaliation, a former US trade negotiator lists out the options available to world leaders.

Wendy Cutler

Lina Jaradat

Politics

Only national reconciliation can heal Lebanon's civil war wounds

13 April 2025

Fifty years ago today, a civil war that lasted 15 years ripped the country apart. Today, outstanding grievances and underlying causes of that war still remain, leaving the country on shaky ground.

Ali Mourad

Al Majalla

Politics

Leaked exchanges 'Signal' the importance of the Red Sea

14 April 2025

A waterway wedged between Africa and Asia is the preferred transit route for around 30% of global containerised trade. No wonder foreign stakeholders are all vying for bases along the route.

Amgad Fareid Eltayeb

AFP

Culture & Social Affairs

The cartoonists who satirised Assad's oppressive regime

14 April 2025

A simple satirical image can cut through in a way that words cannot, so those brave enough to lampoon Syria's brutal Assad regime played a crucial role in its downfall.

Nawwar Jabbour