ع
Sections
  • Politics
  • Culture & Social Affairs
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • Documents & Memoirs
Regions
  • Gulf
  • MENA
  • Europe
  • USA
  • Asia
  • World
More
  • Videos
  • Cartoons
  • World in photos
  • Infographics
  • Profiles
  • Newsletter

LATEST ISSUE

Latest Issue
Magazine Archive
النسخة العربية
  • Politics
  • Culture & Social Affairs
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • Tag
  • Ahmed al-Sharaa

Syrian security stands guard as a convoy of US military equipment is transported along the Damascus–Amman highway as the US withdraws from its bases in Syria on 16 April, 2026. BAKR ALKASEM / AFP

The US ends its military presence in Syria: why now and what next?

Washington is reordering its priorities as part of a broader strategic shift across the Middle East, and eyes a possible alliance with Damascus as a next step

Subhi Franjieh 22 April 2026
Released detainees prepare to leave the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh governorate on 3 September 2023. AFO

The transfer of the IS file to Damascus is a test

The fight against IS will determine whether post-war Syria can confront the consequences of mass violence without recreating the conditions that allowed it to endure

Haid Haid 02 February 2026
People stand outside the Justice Palace after first trial of more than a dozen suspects linked to massacres that left hundreds dead in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland earlier this year, in Aleppo on 18 November 2025. BAKR ALKASEM / AFP

Fresh UK sanctions on Syria send a message

London is making it clear that it expects more than just symbolic gestures from Damascus when it comes to holding security forces accountable for atrocities

Haid Haid 27 December 2025
Lina Jaradat

Trump, Sharaa, and the future of Syria

There was visible warmth when the US and Syrian presidents met in the Oval Office last month, with some even speculating a Trump visit to Damascus. But there is much to do before that happens.

Robert Ford 07 December 2025
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani meets with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on 17 November, 2025. SANA

China's approach to 'the new Syria' is one of cautious optimism

Beijing's concerns over Uyghur militants in the Syrian military and ongoing political instability continue to cast a shadow over the relationship

Yang Xiaotong 06 December 2025
A man holds up a sign that reads in Arabic, "Release of the detained", as people take part in a protest in the coastal city of Latakia in Syria's Alawite heartland on 25 November 2025. HAIDAR MUSTAFA / AFP

Syria's coastal protests come with a critical message

What they reveal is far more consequential than their modest turnout suggests

Haid Haid 02 December 2025
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meets with the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, on the sidelines of their official visit to Washington DC on 11 November 2025. SANA / AFP

Why Hakan Fidan attended the Trump-Sharaa meeting

The US wants the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces to be integrated into the Syrian army, but needs Türkiye to be on board

Omer Onhon 15 November 2025
This handout photograph released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on 10 November 2025, shows US President Donald Trump (L) shaking hands with Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House in Washington DC. SANA / AFP

Syria-US rapprochement sees cooperation surge

Since Trump began lifting sanctions in May, no time has been wasted. US investment delegations have been flocking to Damascus, and security cooperation has already started.

Charles Lister 13 November 2025
Axel Rangel Garcia

Barbara Leaf on being the first US official to meet Ahmed Sharaa

On Monday, the Syrian president shook hands with Trump at the White House. Speaking to Al Majalla, a former State Department official explains why this is a moment she could have never imagined.

Ibrahim Hamidi 11 November 2025
Axel Rangel Garcia

As Sharaa steps into the White House, Syria steps into the US orbit

In what could be a historic turning point in US-Syria relations, the new government in Damascus will likely join the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS)

Subhi Franjieh 09 November 2025
  •  Load More
  • Popular
  • Editor's Pick
Politics

Trump’s 2026 Iran deal differs from Obama’s 2015 JCPOA

18 June 2026

Although an MOU will be officially signed on 19 June, there are already significant differences a decade later, despite the US aim being largely similar. Could Trump open Iran like Nixon opened China?

Robert Ford
Sara Gironi Carnevale
Science & Technology

A smarter ball, or a safer one? The header dilemma facing world football

11 June 2026

The official World Cup ball showcases the latest advances in football technology, but new research questions whether future designs should prioritise brain safety as well as performance

Marco Mossad
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian holding a memorandum of understanding he and US President Donald Trump signed to end the US-Iran war on 17 June, 2026. IRINN Iranian state television/AFP
Politics

How a US-Iran deal will impact Gulf relations with Tehran

17 June 2026

As a costly war draws to a close, Tehran has the chance to chart a new course in relation to its neighbours, but that requires a change of mindset

Zaid bin Ali al-Fadhil
Stefano Summo
Culture & Social Affairs

World Cup songs: from local themes to global industry

11 June 2026

Football's biggest tournament has come to adopt a single soundtrack every four years to give each offering a distinct identity. Is this genuine culture, or a mass marketing technique?

Najeeb Mubarak
Al Majalla
Politics

How Pakistan quietly brokered the historic US-Iran deal

16 June 2026

Islamabad kept both sides talking even as missiles were being launched. That tenacity looks to have paid dividends in a way that could yet reshape the Middle East's power dynamics.

Kaswar Klasra

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter

Get the best of Al Majalla, straight to your inbox.

Your newsletter subscriptions are subject to Al Majalla privacy policy and terms and conditions.

OPINIONS

The Russian military returns to Afghanistan 37 years later

Kamal Alam
Kamal Alam

From Tintin to Tetouan: the rise of Moroccan comics

Najeeb Mubarak
Najeeb Mubarak

Hormuz may reopen, but the deal is strewn with mines

Ibrahim Hamidi
Ibrahim Hamidi

Bill Pulte: the Trump-friendly acting intelligence director

Tarek Rashed
Tarek Rashed
MORE FROM OPINIONS
logo
  • Politics
  • Culture & Social Affairs
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • Documents & Memoirs
  • Gulf
  • MENA
  • Europe
  • USA
  • Asia
  • World
  • Videos
  • Cartoons
  • World in photos
  • Infographics
  • Profiles
  • About Al Majalla
  • Al Majalla Team
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact us
logo

© Al Majalla Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

0:00:00
0:00:00