Syria

Many had hoped the drug trade would stop after Assad's fall, but traffickers have shown resilience. With sustained regional demand and limited job opportunities, the industry isn't going anywhere.

After 14 years of conflict, building transparent institutions and systems that meet international standards is a prerequisite for reigniting the economy, says the Governor of the Central Bank of Syria

Al Majalla reveals the covert talks over several years between the representatives of a reluctant Syrian president and successive White House administrations hoping find a missing American.

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

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

Although he once deemed Syria unimportant, Trump now seems to realise how key it is to Arab states, whose cooperation he greatly values

On 18 May 1965, Eliyahu Cohen, an Egyptian Jew born in Alexandria, was hanged for espionage in Damascus after posing as a Muslim Arab merchant from Argentina

Promising a new golden age, neo-Umayyadism resonates with a broad spectrum of Syria's Sunni Arabs, particularly those from small towns and suburbs that had been disenfranchised under the Assad regime

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.

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