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  • Bashar Al-Assad

A Syrian woman holds a picture of President Bashar al-Assad as other protestors fly Palestinian and Syrian flags during a demonstration to mark Land Day in Damascus on March 30, 2012. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP

The Assads were phony champions of the Palestinian cause

In its public statements, the Syrian government has long supported the Palestinian cause. In reality, the Assads sought to stymie the PLO, whose famous leader, Yasser Arafat, never trusted Damascus.

Majed Kayali 14 December 2024
Members of Russian and Syrian forces at the Abu Al-Duhur crossing on the eastern edge of Idlib province on August 20, 2018. AFP

How the fall of Assad has been a strategic loss for Russia

Russia's claim of being a steadfast guarantor of security for allies has been dented, which could affect its expansion into Africa and Latin America and strain its ties with Central Asian countries

Samer Elias 14 December 2024
Former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and his counterpart Elias Hrawi during their meeting in Damascus on March 14, 1998. AFP

Assad's fall could put Lebanon and Syria on divergent paths

The end of Assad's rule also means the end of his influence in Lebanon, and Lebanese politicians who served the interests of Damascus for decades could see their power drastically curtailed

Houssam Itani 13 December 2024
A woman inspects the cells of the famous Sednaya prison north of Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime.
 AP/Hussein Malla

Blood-curdling tales emerge from Assad's torture dungeons

Unravelling the horrors perpetrated in the darkest corners of Syria's prisons is chilling, nauseating, and crucial to understanding how this infernal machinery came into being—and continued operating

Samer Abou Hawwach 13 December 2024
Rebel forces shoot in the air as they celebrate in the central Syrian city of Homs early on December 8, 2024. Aref TAMMAWI / AFP

Is Syria heading for a bright new beginning or an even darker future?

Syrians are rejoicing over the overthrow of a despised dictator, but it could still be some time before they genuinely reap the benefits of liberation. The coming months will be telling.

Con Coughlin 11 December 2024
People hold a large Syrian opposition flag at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 9, 2024. Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP

The history of Syria's not-so-new flag

A flag that has become synonymous with opposition to Assad rule was actually the flag of the first Syrian Republic under French mandate. Al Majalla debunks regime lies about what this flag represents.

Sami Moubayed 11 December 2024

Assad flees Syria after lightening opposition offensive

Fares Garabet 09 December 2024
A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama following its capture. OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP

Assad's fall: The end of an era

In just over a week, a lightning rebel offensive has collapsed five decades of draconian Assad rule. Al Majalla looks back at the political career of the former Syrian president.

Sami Moubayed 08 December 2024
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) at the G20 Summit on November 18, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro. ERIC LEE / AFP

Turkey tiptoes through the melee to soften al-Assad

Ankara and Damascus have been at daggers drawn for years but now have reasons to talk. Syria wants Turkish troops gone, while Turkey wants its Syrian refugees to go home. Let the bargaining begin.

Omer Onhon 26 November 2024
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attending the Arab summit in Riyadh, having been brought back in 'from the cold' by Arab leaders Reuters

Assad turns escalation in Gaza and Lebanon to his advantage

The Syrian president knows that war between Israel and Hezbollah will send diplomats hurriedly calling Damascus. After more than a decade in the diplomatic naughty corner, this is his moment

Haid Haid 19 August 2024
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US President Donald Trump speaks during a reception with business leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on 21 January 2026. Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP
Politics

In Davos, a tale of two speeches

22 January 2026

Trump follows Greenland threats by announcing a "future deal," while Canada's prime minister describes it all as a "rupture in the world order"

Ravi Agrawal
Syrians celebrate in Raqqa on 19 January 2026, after Syria and the SDF struck a wide-ranging deal to bring Kurdish civilian and military authorities under central government control on Sunday. REUTERS / Karam al-Masri
Politics

Why Syrian army gains against the SDF unnerve Israel

20 January 2026

Israeli media have painted the "defeat of the Kurds" as a win for Türkiye, while Israel's military worries that this may carry negative implications for its presence in the Golan

Michael Harari
Opinion

The battle for the state is reshaping regional alliances

18 January 2026

From Yemen and Syria to Sudan and Libya, there is a concerted effort to reassert state authority and thwart moves toward the proliferation of quasi-states and fragmentation

Ibrahim Hamidi
A general view of a concrete block marking the "Yellow Line" drawn by the Israeli military in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, on 4 November 2025. BASHAR TALEB / AFP / Al Majalla
Politics

Is Israel annexing more than half of Gaza?

20 January 2026

The ambiguous meaning of Israel's new yellow line

Giovanni Legorano
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) shakes hands with Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on 18 December 2025. AFP
Politics

Egypt stiffens its resolve to stop Sudan fragmentation

18 January 2026

For Cairo, stability in its southern neighbour is a national security issue. After almost three years of seeking a diplomatic solution, there are signs that it is now turning to firepower.

Amr Emam

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