corruption | Al Majalla

Killer profits in Lebanon’s medicine trade reveal the dystopia faced by its people

The story of the pharmaceuticals crisis reveals the country's wider social, political, and economic dynamics

Lina Khatib 02, Dec 2023

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani takes oath after parliament gives a confidence vote to Cabinet led by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, in Baghdad, Iraq on October 27, 2022.

One year on: How has Al-Sudani's government performed in Iraq?

Rhetoric and internal political manoeuvring need to be put to one side, and the prime minister must deliver tangible improvements to the everyday quality of life for millions of Iraqis.

Ayad Al-Anbar 28, Oct 2023

People attend a collective funeral for victims of the wedding hall fire in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 29, 2023.

AFP

Iraq and death have formed a bond its corrupt leaders leave unbroken

The political elite vies for influence and wealth, while blind to its own inability to provide the basic form of government needed to keep people safe in this land of an ever-rising death toll

Ayad Al-Anbar 03, Oct 2023

The origins of this mafia class can be traced back to the power vacuum the US invasion of Iraq created in 2003. 20 years later its influence is pervasive and its presence ostentatious.

AP/AFP/MAJALLA

The conspicuous rise of Iraq's mafia class

The origins of this mafia class can be traced back to the power vacuum the US invasion of Iraq created in 2003. 20 years later, its influence is pervasive and its presence aggravating.

Ayad Al-Anbar 13, Aug 2023

A handout photo made available by the Russian Defence Ministry press service shows Russian peacekeepers attending a welcome ceremony upon returning from a mission in Kazakhstan on the military base in Ivanovo, Russia, 15 January 2022. RUSSIAN FEDERATION (EPA Photos)

Kazakhstan’s “Bloody January” and its Aftermath

Kazakhstan has just weathered a major crisis sparked by skyrocketing fuel prices. Dissent is rare in Kazakhstan as a result of the fact that it is one of the least free countries in Central Asia run…

Maia Otarashvili 04, Feb 2022

This aerial image taken on Jan. 23, 2022, shows police cars guarding the crime scene where journalist Lourdes Maldonado was murdered in Santa Fe, Tijuana's outskirts, Baja California, Mexico. (Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Mexico Must End Killings of Journalists

On Jan. 23, Mexican journalist Lourdes Maldonado López was shot dead in her car in front of her home in Tijuana. She was the third Mexican journalist to be murdered that month, after another Tijuana…

Miriam Davidson 31, Jan 2022

Tunisia's President Kais Saied, center, leads a security meeting with members of the army and police forces in Tunis, Tunisia, Sunday, July 25, 2021. (Photo by Hedi Azouz/AP)

Tunisia’s Challenge to Keep the Boat Afloat

Tunisia; the geographically small, historically ancient, and demographically young and vibrant North African country, which is located at one of the most beautiful spots at the southern Mediterranean…

Dalia Ziada 06, Aug 2021

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US President Donald Trump delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs as US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick holds a chart during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington, DC,

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP

Business & Economy

Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ brings even bigger tariffs than expected

03 April 2025

Double-digit tariffs on nearly every trading partner will likely spark reprisals

Keith Johnson

People wave flags and chant slogans as they celebrate on the streets of Port Sudan on March 21, 2025, after the army retook the presidential palace in Khartoum from paramilitaries.

Ebrahim HAMID / AFP

Politics

Winning Khartoum: what tipped the scales in the army's favour?

02 April 2025

Several factors contributed to the Sudanese Armed Forces finally reclaiming the country's capital from the RSF paramilitaries who seized it two years ago at the outbreak of civil war.

Amgad Fareid Eltayeb

Eduardo Ramon

Profiles

Ekrem İmamoğlu: The Turkish presidential candidate behind bars

30 March 2025

The man many think could end Erdoğan's quarter-century reign was arrested just days before he was nominated as the CHP presidential candidate. Who is he, and why is he behind bars?

Omer Onhon

The new Syrian government, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the middle, poses for a group photo at the presidential palace on Saturday, March 29, 2025.

AFP

Politics

8 things you need to know about Syria's new government

31 March 2025

As Syria takes this important step forward, the journey ahead remains fraught with obstacles but also hope

Al Majalla - London

A man walks past a mural depicting the late Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano in Montevideo.

Eitan ABRAMOVICH / AFP

Culture & Social Affairs

Remembering Eduardo Galeano: the voice of the oppressed

28 March 2025

The passion and imagination of the Uruguayan writer remain timeless, not least over Gaza. Ten years since his passing, Al Majalla revisits his works and words.

Antoine Jockey

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LATEST ISSUE

Killer profits in Lebanon’s medicine trade reveal the dystopia faced by its people

One year on: How has Al-Sudani's government performed in Iraq?

Iraq and death have formed a bond its corrupt leaders leave unbroken

The conspicuous rise of Iraq's mafia class

Kazakhstan’s “Bloody January” and its Aftermath

Mexico Must End Killings of Journalists

Tunisia’s Challenge to Keep the Boat Afloat

Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ brings even bigger tariffs than expected

Winning Khartoum: what tipped the scales in the army's favour?

Ekrem İmamoğlu: The Turkish presidential candidate behind bars

8 things you need to know about Syria's new government

Remembering Eduardo Galeano: the voice of the oppressed

OPINIONS

Are Europe and the US getting divorced?

Are Europe and the US headed for divorce?

How might US-Europe divergence impact the Middle East?

What the emerging US–Europe divide means for the Mideast

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