Key regional powers—Türkiye, Egypt, Iran—do not see eye to eye over what transpired in Syria. One emerges as a winner, the other a loser, and Syria's new Islamist-leaning leaders unsettle the third.

Integrating armed factions, particularly the SDF, will be key, as well as agreeing on an inclusive new government that can unify a country that has been plagued by division

With Trump's return to the White House, his planned tariffs could bring down international trade, which in turn would reduce the demand for crude oil

Earlier eras have been characterised by peaceful coexistence in Islam, when people from different religions lived side by side, with equal rights, at a time when violence raged around other faiths

There are signs that Trump wants his favourite tech billionaire to be as ruthless with the institutions of the American state as he was with Twitter