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  • Politics
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  • 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
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar, and Trump advisor Massad Boulos in Washington on 29 June, 2026. @US_SrAdvisorAF/X
Politics

US plan for Libya: unification or management of division?

26 June 2026

A US envoy wants the institutions of western Libya to accommodate the son of an eastern warlord as Libyan president. Is this another doomed effort to unite the feuding factions, or could it work?

Areig Elhag
Dave Murray
Science & Technology

More than a game: a look inside the mind of a football fan

30 June 2026

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 shows, identity, belonging, and tension combine to make football fandom unlike any other sport. So, what is going on in fans' brains?

Alaa Emara
A fighter loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan holds up a weapon backdropped by the minaret of a mosque, during a graduation ceremony in the southeastern Gedaref state on 27 May 2024. AFP
Politics

The quiet push to finally end Sudan's civil war

29 June 2026

External actors and some domestic parties are believed to be working behind the scenes towards a settlement. Why now?

Shawgi Abdelazim
Chinese President Xi Jinping stands in the centre of the hall during the China-Africa forum at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing, on 5 September 2024.
 AFP
Business & Economy

China doubles down on Africa with its zero-tariff policy

01 July 2026

Beijing's duty-free access for African exports promises mutual economic gains, but more importantly, it deepens its strategic influence across the continent

Rabia Abdul Salam
Eduardo Ramon
Politics

Why siccing Syria's army on Hezbollah is so dangerous

28 June 2026

If Trump's idea is implemented, it would all but certainly further undermine regional stability and US interests in the Middle East

David Schenker

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OPINIONS

The age of the microdrama: why slow cinema matters more than ever

Hassan Salama

After all the talk, are the US and Iran back to square one?

Con Coughlin
Con Coughlin

Egypt to bite the bullet and overhaul its food subsidy regime

Amr Emam
Amr Emam

Iran after Khamenei’s funeral

Al Majalla - London
Al Majalla - London
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