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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • 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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Mark Smith
Politics

Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran’s third Supreme Leader

12 March 2026

The appointment represents one of the most consequential political shifts in the Islamic Republic in more than three decades

Al Majalla - London
IRGC soldiers march during the annual military parade marking the anniversary of the outbreak of the devastating 1980-1988 war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq, in the capital Tehran on 22 September, 2018. AFP
Politics

The US-Iran war could empower the IRGC

09 March 2026

When states are attacked, authority gravitates towards institutions capable of mobilising resources, enforcing discipline, and coordinating a military response

Alex Vatanka
Demonstrators wave Iranian national flags as they gather for a rally in support of the new Supreme Leader at Enghelab Square in central Tehran on 9 March 2026. AFP
Politics

Why regime change in Iran is unlikely

10 March 2026

There are few examples of successful US regime-change operations in history. And without permanent ground troop presence, these wins can easily be reversed.

Christopher Phillips
Tugboats help an oil tanker dock at Qingdao port in Shandong province, eastern China, on 4 August 2019. AFP
Business & Economy

The US-Iran war could consolidate China’s energy dominance

10 March 2026

Crises often reorder energy geopolitics in unexpected ways. This one may ultimately strengthen, rather than weaken, China's strategic position.

Jason Bordoff and Erica Downs
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is greeted by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during the D-8 summit in Cairo, Egypt, on 19 December 2024. AFP
Politics

Egypt fears an unrestrained Israel if Iran collapses

06 March 2026

Cairo and Tehran have been at loggerheads since 1979, but the Iranian threat has always acted as a check on Israeli ambitions. If Iran is completely defeated, Israel will reign supreme.

Amr Emam

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OPINIONS

Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran’s third Supreme Leader

Al Majalla - London
Al Majalla - London

Iran, Mojtaba and the future of the Islamic Republic

Alex Vatanka
Alex Vatanka

Can Algerian gas help plug a gap in Qatari supply?

Rabia Abdul Salam
Rabia Abdul Salam

Operation ‘Epic Wrath’ and the 2026 Elections

Abdullah F. Alrebh
Abdullah F. Alrebh
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