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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • Tag
  • Rifaat

Jay Torres

From Corleone to Assad: the rise and fall of a dynasty

Syria's hereditary republic grew into a mafia-style family regime. The similarities between their 54-year rule and the fictional Corleone family in 'The Godfather' movies are more than skin-deep

Ibrahim Hamidi 17 August 2026
A composite image of Rifaat al-Assad and the new Syrian flag, with a destroyed statue of his brother Hafez al-Assad and a broken image of Bashar al-Assad after the fall of the regime on 8 December 2024.
 AFP / Al Majalla

Rifaat Assad's death in exile is justice denied

Bashar's uncle was a key figure in the Assad regime who oversaw the bloodiest massacre committed by an Arab state against its own people in history, earning him the title 'the Butcher of Hama'

Ibrahim Hamidi 29 January 2026
Al Majalla provides exclusive insight into a fraternal rivalry between Hafez and Rifaat that ended up with Hafez remaining Syrian president. Lina Jaradat

Inside the decades-long power struggle between the al-Assad brothers

Al Majalla provides exclusive insight into a fraternal rivalry between Hafez and Rifaat that ended up with Hafez remaining Syrian president.

Ibrahim Hamidi 18 January 2024
  • Popular
  • Editor's Pick
Photos of the new head of the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad), Roman Gofman (right); Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani; and the US Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack.
 Al Majalla
Politics

Why Israel's strike in northern Syria surprised Damascus

20 August 2026

Shaibani held several calls with the Mossad chief days before the strike, explaining why the airport's runway was being rehabilitated and that it had no hostile intentions, but Israel bombed it anyway

Ibrahim Hamidi
Pakistan's Ambassador Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, in New York, on 28 February 2026. REUTERS/Heather Khalifa
Politics

Pakistan's UN envoy: there is no military solution to Iran war

20 August 2026

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad speaks to Al Majalla about Islamabad's diplomatic role in the talks between the US and Iran, its balancing act between Tehran and Riyadh and the Mecca Pact

Ahmed Maher
Al Majalla
Science & Technology

Why Israel's outsized influence on global tech is worrying

19 August 2026

From Apple's chips to Nvidia's data centres, Israeli tech has embedded itself in the global tech ecosystem. This comes with grave national security implications.

Marco Mossad
Lina Jaradat
Politics

Ahmed al-Sharaa: the next battle

20 August 2026

Balancing the competing interests of regional and global stakeholders is no easy task. Can the president keep Syria from becoming an arena for regional conflict?

Al Majalla - London
Stock markets reacted to an uptick in US inflation, suggesting that President Donald Trump's tariffs were impacting the American economy. Angela Weiss/AFP
Business & Economy

Why bond markets are unnerving rich-world politicians

20 August 2026

As stocks rise ever higher, yields have been climbing ominously

The Economist

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OPINIONS

Iran's alternative trade routes amid US naval blockade

Al Majalla - London
Al Majalla - London

Why Al-Aqsa matters more than ever to Jordan

Neil Quilliam
Neil Quilliam

Wang Huning: key advisor to three Chinese presidents

Charbel Barakat
Charbel Barakat

The US bond crisis highlights a deeper fiscal rot

Keith Johnson
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