Another 70 lawmakers have been picked by the president, creating a chamber of just over 200. Are these MPs pliable and subservient, or do they have teeth? That is now an important question for Syria
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will go off what his opposite number in Damascus does, not what he says. In the meantime, Israeli actions make a genuine peace more difficult.
From the plains of Idlib to the presidential palace in Damascus and now the UN headquarters in Manhattan, Al Majalla traces the Syrian president's journey to get to this historic moment
Weapons caches, investigations into killings, ongoing raids and kidnappings, coordinated assaults, roadblocks, and sporadic fighting does not instil confidence, but some residents see reason to hope.
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.
Alongside the Syrians who ousted Assad in December were Chechens, Uyghurs, Arabs, Europeans, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turks, and Albanians, to name but a few. What next for them?
If the interim government fails to deliver on promises of stability and prosperity, divisions will deepen, tensions will rise, and Syria could once again descend into violent unrest
Some predict partition, others federalism or fragmentation. Amidst the competing interests of Arab states, Russia, the US, Israel, Iran, Türkiye, and Europe, Syria treads its own path
Gadi Eisenkot, who may form a government, hails from a Moroccan-Jewish family. Israel's 15 prime ministers have all had European or Russian heritage. Is it time for a change?
The former IRGC general was recently appointed as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. For the US, the danger is mistaking his prominence for a willingness to deliver concessions
From machines that develop human emotions to societies governed by artificial intelligence, Arab novelists explore the promises and perils of a radically transformed future