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  • Politics
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  • Russia

Burkina Faso's Capt. Ibrahim Traore, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands before an official ceremony to welcome the leaders of delegations to the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 27, 2023

Why the ‘unreliable allies’ narrative doesn't track in Africa

A growing 'unreliable allies' narrative claims Russia and China are abandoning their African partners. The evidence suggests otherwise

Sergey Eledinov 08 February 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian after signing the association treaty in the Kremlin on 17 January 2025. AFP

What would regime change in Iran mean for Russia?

Moscow and Tehran cooperate militarily to an extent, but bilateral trade is low, and Russia doesn't consider Iran a strategic ally

Anton Mardasov 06 February 2026
Al Majalla

Russia could feel the economic screws tighten in 2026

The Kremlin's economic indicators are causing unease, while smaller states in Russia's sphere of influence are eyeing opportunities to reduce their reliance on Moscow. What will the year ahead bring?

Nazareth Seferian 08 January 2026
A Russian navy ship docked at the port of the Sudanese city of Port Sudan on 27 April 2021. Ibrahim Ishaq / AFP

Why a Russian base on Sudan’s coast spells trouble for Egypt

Sudan's army needs a Russian lifeline to avoid collapse in the ongoing civil war. The price is a naval facility in Port Sudan, giving Moscow access to the Red Sea.

Amr Emam 13 December 2025
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) looks on during a meeting with US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 20 November 2025. AFP

Trump presents Ukraine with a ‘very tough choice’

Zelensky said he's being asked to decide between Ukraine losing its dignity or losing a key partner

Sam Skove and John Haltiwanger 25 November 2025
Al Majalla's Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Hamidi interviews Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 13 November 2025. Axel Rangel Garcia

Asaad Shaibani on how Syria untangled its Russian knot

In Part 1 of a two-part interview with Al Majalla, Syria's foreign minister explains how the Assad regime fell and how President Ahmed al-Sharaa went from a wanted man to a world leader

Ibrahim Hamidi 21 November 2025
A member of the former rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar

Syria after Assad: reclaiming a national identity lost to regional overreach

The Assads bound Syria to regional power plays far beyond its means. As the country embarks on a new path, hollow rhetoric must be replaced with a vision grounded in freedom, equality, and sovereignty

Majed Kayali 19 November 2025
AFP-Reuters-Eduardo Ramon

Russia’s pragmatic retreat from the Middle East

Moscow has its work cut out in Ukraine, where the ongoing war is a drain on resources. This means that the lofty regional ambitions it set out in 2023 have had to be recalibrated.

Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy 02 November 2025
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi on October 2, 2025. Mikhail METZEL / AFP

After Valdai: Putin moves from ideology to action

The Russian president says the next step is shaping a new construct—sovereignty as a service, as a resource, as an exportable value—which can already be seen in Africa

Sergey Eledinov 19 October 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa hold a meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on October 15, 2025. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AFP

Unpacking Sharaa's diplomatic overture to Putin

In Moscow, Syria's new president said he wants to restore and redefine relations with Russia—a former foe. But is this a genuine olive branch or a message to Washington?

Samer Elias 17 October 2025
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar, and Trump advisor Massad Boulos in Washington on 29 June, 2026. @US_SrAdvisorAF/X
Politics

US plan for Libya: unification or management of division?

26 June 2026

A US envoy wants the institutions of western Libya to accommodate the son of an eastern warlord as Libyan president. Is this another doomed effort to unite the feuding factions, or could it work?

Areig Elhag
Dave Murray
Science & Technology

More than a game: a look inside the mind of a football fan

30 June 2026

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 shows, identity, belonging, and tension combine to make football fandom unlike any other sport. So, what is going on in fans' brains?

Alaa Emara
A fighter loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan holds up a weapon backdropped by the minaret of a mosque, during a graduation ceremony in the southeastern Gedaref state on 27 May 2024. AFP
Politics

The quiet push to finally end Sudan's civil war

29 June 2026

External actors and some domestic parties are believed to be working behind the scenes towards a settlement. Why now?

Shawgi Abdelazim
Chinese President Xi Jinping stands in the centre of the hall during the China-Africa forum at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing, on 5 September 2024.
 AFP
Business & Economy

China doubles down on Africa with its zero-tariff policy

01 July 2026

Beijing's duty-free access for African exports promises mutual economic gains, but more importantly, it deepens its strategic influence across the continent

Rabia Abdul Salam
Eduardo Ramon
Politics

Why siccing Syria's army on Hezbollah is so dangerous

28 June 2026

If Trump's idea is implemented, it would all but certainly further undermine regional stability and US interests in the Middle East

David Schenker

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