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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • Tag
  • sanctions

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael parades with the Israeli flag during the dress rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on May 16, 2025. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Cultural boycotts: the double standards that expose Western hypocrisy

The international community's contradictory responses to Ukraine and Gaza lay bare the farce of a supposed rules-based global order

Sawsan Jamil Hasan 16 October 2025
Aliaa Abou Khaddour

New Syria sanctions relief (and risks) explained

Firms relying on the recent wave of lifted sanctions and exceptive relief will face significant hurdles in verifying that transactions do not benefit excluded actors

Matt Zweig and Max Meizlish 30 May 2025
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Why Trump decided to lift sanctions on Syria

Trump's decision to reverse decades of US policy on Syria within just a few hours in Riyadh reflects the weight of influence that Middle Eastern leaders can have on Trump's decision-making process

Caroline Rose 20 May 2025
Al Majalla

Trump's move to lift Syria sanctions begs more questions than answers

Trump's announcement and Rubio's subsequent statement offered no clear roadmap for unwinding Syria sanctions layered under multiple authorities

Matt Zweig 19 May 2025
People celebrate in Damascus' Omeyyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP

Syria's long road to economic recovery can finally begin

Trump has lifted US sanctions, offering Syria a "chance at greatness". Despite lingering hurdles, for the first time in a long time, there is an electric sense of hope in the country.

Joseph Daher 15 May 2025
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) watching as US President Donald Trump (C) shakes hands with Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh on May 14, 2025. Bandar AL-JALOUD / Saudi Royal Palace

Trump's lifting of Syria sanctions solidifies Iran's regional defeat

It could very well boost Israel's security as well as that of everyone else in the region

James Jeffrey 14 May 2025
A currency exchange shop in Moscow displays the Russian ruble to dollar exchange rate on November 27, 2024. AFP

Even if sanctions are eased, Russia's economy will be strained

While some indicators are positive, others are troubling. The arrival of Donald Trump in the White House has given the Kremlin a political boost, and lifting sanctions will help, but it is no panacea.

Nazareth Seferian 16 March 2025
Matthew Zweig, one of the architects of the Caesar Act

Caesar Act architect: Lifting Syria sanctions is "complicated"

The US levied swingeing sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's regime for torturing and killing thousands. Matt Zweig, who helped draft it, speaks to Al Majalla about its details and future.

Ibrahim Hamidi 02 March 2025
Russia’s determination to defy the West’s sanctions was on display at its Davos equivalent in St. Petersburg, with President Vladimir Putin looking South and East for partnerships. Axel Rangel Garcia_AFP_Reuters

Putin touts trade bump with global south at 'Russia's Davos'

Showcasing his economy's resilience despite moves to isolate it, Russia's president was keen to attract potential trade allies at an important conference in St Petersburg.

Nazareth Seferian 16 June 2024
Nathalie Lees

Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ is sailing through sanctions to pay for war

Oil revenue boosting the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine comes from a fleet of ships and intermediaries designed to evade sanctions and price caps. All signs are that it is working.

Nazareth Seferian 30 May 2024
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US President Donald Trump speaks during a reception with business leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on 21 January 2026. Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP
Politics

In Davos, a tale of two speeches

22 January 2026

Trump follows Greenland threats by announcing a "future deal," while Canada's prime minister describes it all as a "rupture in the world order"

Ravi Agrawal
Syrians celebrate in Raqqa on 19 January 2026, after Syria and the SDF struck a wide-ranging deal to bring Kurdish civilian and military authorities under central government control on Sunday. REUTERS / Karam al-Masri
Politics

Why Syrian army gains against the SDF unnerve Israel

20 January 2026

Israeli media have painted the "defeat of the Kurds" as a win for Türkiye, while Israel's military worries that this may carry negative implications for its presence in the Golan

Michael Harari
Opinion

The battle for the state is reshaping regional alliances

18 January 2026

From Yemen and Syria to Sudan and Libya, there is a concerted effort to reassert state authority and thwart moves toward the proliferation of quasi-states and fragmentation

Ibrahim Hamidi
A general view of a concrete block marking the "Yellow Line" drawn by the Israeli military in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, on 4 November 2025. BASHAR TALEB / AFP / Al Majalla
Politics

Is Israel annexing more than half of Gaza?

20 January 2026

The ambiguous meaning of Israel's new yellow line

Giovanni Legorano
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) shakes hands with Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Cairo on 18 December 2025. AFP
Politics

Egypt stiffens its resolve to stop Sudan fragmentation

18 January 2026

For Cairo, stability in its southern neighbour is a national security issue. After almost three years of seeking a diplomatic solution, there are signs that it is now turning to firepower.

Amr Emam

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OPINIONS

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Omer Onhon
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Ahmed Maher
Ahmed Maher

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Jaber Muhammad Madkhali

US-NATO crisis averted after Greenland issue 'resolved'

Con Coughlin
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