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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • Iraq

Iraqi Kurds wave flags as they attend an election rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) at the Arbil citadel in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on October 7, 2021. AFP

KDP decision to boycott polls sends shockwaves across Iraq

A bold move from the KDP comes with major implications. It reveals deepening constitutional fault lines and growing unease over Iranian influence.

Rustum Mahmud 24 March 2024
Picture released by the Lebanese Prime Minister's office shows US President George W. Bush (R) shaking hands with Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri after their meeting in Washington on 17 April 2002. AFP

Khaddam Files: Bush tells Hariri of intention to remove Saddam

In part 4 of a 7-part series, Al Majalla sheds light on a meeting between Rafic Hariri and George W. Bush. The Lebanese PM left with an understanding as to Saddam's fate and with a message for Iran.

Ibrahim Hamidi 23 March 2024
Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw (L) meets with Iranian foreign ministry official Mohsen Aminzadeh at Tehran's Mehrabad airport 09 October 2002. AFP

Khaddam Files: US-Iran backchannels ahead of Iraq invasion

Before it invaded Iraq in 2003, the US was trying to reassure Iran that it would not be targeted next. In part 3 of a 7-part series, Al Majalla publishes private discussions held in Damascus.

Ibrahim Hamidi 22 March 2024
The Kurdish leader was party to secret talks with the Americans in the run-up to the US invasion of Iraq. In part 2 of a 7-part series, Al Majalla reveals for the first time what he told the Syrians. Al Majalla

Khaddam Files: Barzani briefs al-Assad on CIA visit

The Kurdish leader was party to secret talks with the Americans in the run-up to the US invasion of Iraq. In part 2 of a 7-part series, Al Majalla reveals for the first time what he told the Syrians.

Ibrahim Hamidi 21 March 2024
In 2002, the CIA informed Iraqi Kurds of its plan for regime change.  In part 1 of a 7-part series, Al Majalla publishes first-hand accounts of the conversations that would change the Middle East. Al Majalla

Khaddam Files: Talabani informs al-Assad of US decision to topple Saddam

In 2002, the CIA informed Iraqi Kurds of its plan for regime change. In part 1 of a 7-part series, Al Majalla publishes first-hand accounts of the conversations that would change the Middle East.

Ibrahim Hamidi 20 March 2024
Damascus and Tehran wanted invading US troops to get stuck in a 'new Vietnam' and set up an operations room headed by their top lieutenants to cause havoc, never-before-published documents show. Al Majalla

Exclusive: How Syria and Iran plotted over a post-Saddam Iraq

Damascus and Tehran wanted invading US troops to get stuck in a 'new Vietnam' and set up an operations room headed by their top lieutenants to cause havoc, never-before-published documents show.

Ibrahim Hamidi 18 March 2024
The shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf. The city is home to Iraq's influential Religious Authority. Shutterstock

How Iraq’s Religious Authority rose to prominence after Saddam's fall

After the US invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam, Shiite clerics in Najaf helped the country get back on its feet. Its views are still sought, shaping the direction of Iraq today.

Shahd Dashty 17 March 2024
A Shiite fighter from the Hashed al Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) patrols in the village of Ayn Nasir, south of Mosul, on October 29, 2016. AFP

Rogue operators: An in-depth look at Iraq’s powerful militias

Armed groups have proliferated in the Iraqi security vacuum, in some cases supported by Iran. After three US soldiers were killed, the Americans have hit back. How will the militias react now?

Salam Zaidan 04 February 2024
A Kurdish man walks past debris following a missile strike launched by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the Kurdistan region’s capital of Arbil, on January 17, 2024. AFP

Is Iraqi Kurdistan turning into an arena to settle regional scores?

Friday's drone attack on one of Iraq's largest gas fields has led to a temporary suspension of production, resulting in major power cuts across the country's northern Kurdistan region.

Rustum Mahmud 27 January 2024
After nine Turkish soldiers were killed by the PKK in Iraq, there is a sombre and angry mood in Ankara. There are major political implications into local elections and over relations with the US. Shutterstock

PKK attacks on Turkey have major implications at home and abroad

After nine Turkish soldiers were killed by the PKK in Iraq, there is a sombre and angry mood in Ankara. There are major political implications into local elections and over relations with the US.

Omer Onhon 16 January 2024
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A US Navy sailor directs a Eurocopter AS-332 Super Puma helicopter on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is supporting US military operations in the war with Iran on 16 August 2026. US. Navy/REUTERS
Politics

US troops leave Iraq and Syria, but double down in the region

30, Sep 2026

Why 30 September should be understood less as a US exit from the Middle East than as the end of a particular model of American intervention

Caroline Rose
Eduardo Ramón
Documents & Memoirs

Exclusive interview with the man who caught Israeli spy Eli Cohen

30, Sep 2026

Ibrahim Hamidi spent years following the story of Mossad's 'spy in Damascus ', but some secrets remained untold. He then learned that the man who could answer them was still alive

Ibrahim Hamidi
Moroccan Foreign Minister Bourita & Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar agreed to advance their
relationship on security, trade, and regional integration on 16 September 2026. @USAmbUN/X
Politics

Morocco expands ties with Israel: why now?

28, Sep 2026

After months of behind‑the‑scenes talks, Rabat and Tel Aviv are deepening ties under a new phase of the existing Abraham Accords, with Western Sahara being dangled as an incentive

Mohamed Sharki
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping view portraits of former US presidents at the White House, Washington, DC, on 24 September 2026. Reuters
Politics

US-China summit: did Xi get what he wanted?

29, Sep 2026

Why the Chinese president's visit to Washington could be considered a success, despite no big movement on trade, Taiwan, and technology

Charbel Barakat
Soldiers from the Ethiopian National Defence Force chant slogans after completing their training at an officers' training ground 70 kilometres northeast of the city of Gondar, Ethiopia, on 14 September 2021. AFP
Politics

Turmoil in Tigray: the view from Ethiopia's neighbours

30, Sep 2026

While many would like to see Addis Ababa distracted, they also worry about a refugee spillover should a civil war break out. It might be a case of 'be careful what you wish for'

Sergey Eledinov

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OPINIONS

Syria's ban on alcohol imports is counterproductive

Haid Haid
Haid Haid

The wrestle for Hormuz

Fares Garabet
Fares Garabet

'The Stories': tumultuous history set to the sound of piano

Ibrahim Haj Abdi
Ibrahim Haj Abdi

Said Jawish Interview Part 1: monitoring Israeli communications

Ibrahim Hamidi
Ibrahim Hamidi
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