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Photo of the letter from the foreign ministers of seven European countries to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell AL MAJALLA

EXCLUSIVE: European push to end long isolation of Syria’s regime

The European "three no's" have remained the cornerstone of the European policy for many years

Ibrahim Hamidi 27, Jul 2024
Demonstrators in the Syrian city of Sweida protest the deteriorating economic conditions on September 5, 2023. There was a city-wide boycott of the election. Reuters

Behind the façade: understanding Syria’s parliamentary election

This bureaucratic sham is meant to make the Assad regime look credible but instead just demonstrates its sclerosis. Little wonder most Syrians don't bother.

Haid Haid 24, Jul 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in 2023. Russia has been mediating between Turkey and Syria. Mikhail Klimentyev/Reuters

First signs of a thaw? Russia nudges Erdoğan and Assad closer

The Turkish and Syrian presidents have not cared for one another in recent years. With Turkish soldiers on Syrian land, one has the upper hand. If pre-conditions can be ditched, will the leaders meet?

Omer Onhon 16, Jul 2024
A painting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez al-Assad, at an art gallery in Damascus, July 3, 2017. AFP

From socialism to drug hub: The evolution of Syria's economy

The Syrian Army's Fourth Division partners with an unlikely cast of characters to smuggle pills across borders while security men in Damascus raid currency exchanges. How did it come to this?

Mohamed abi Samra 03, Jul 2024
IS jihadists are currently active in at least 28 countries across the African continent. Lina Jaradat

Ten years after its inception, IS finds new sanctuary in Africa

Ten years ago, al-Baghdadi declared an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria. But after being largely defeated in the Middle East, the terrorist group has found new places to regroup around the world.

Charles Lister 29, Jun 2024
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on June 26, 2024, shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) meeting with the Russian President's special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, in Damascus. SANA/AFP

Softened stances help grease the path to Turkey-Syria normalisation

Turkish and Syrian security officials are rumoured to have recently met at Latakia's Hmeimim air base under Russian auspices, where some cooperation agreements were reached

Omer Onhon 28, Jun 2024
Mohammed Mossadegh speaks during his trial on November 11, 1953, before the Military Tribunal of Tehran. AFP

A look at the short-lived 1953 Syria-Iran Friendship Pact

A pact signed by Iranian Premier Mohammad Mosaddegh and Syrian President Fawzi Selu quickly soured after the two leaders were toppled. Relations remained icy until Khomeini came to power in 1979.

Sami Moubayed 25, Jun 2024
A British 2-pounder anti-tank gun in action in Syria, June 1941. Courtesy of the Imperial War Museums

Syria has long been a battleground for foreign powers

Just like the current situation today, foreign powers fought each other in Syria 83 years ago. This is the story of how the Allied Powers took on Nazi Germany far from the European battleground.

Sami Moubayed 18, Jun 2024
American President Richard Nixon made an official visit to Damascus on June 15, 1974, and was welcomed by Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. Getty

This day in history: Nixon becomes first US president to visit Syria

In the midst of the Watergate scandal back home, Nixon needed a distraction. After years of isolation, his trip to Damascus on 15 June 1974 paved the way for future visits by US presidents.

Sami Moubayed 15, Jun 2024
The electricity crisis is both a symptom and a driver of Syria's economic decline. The country is caught in a vicious downward spiral. Shutterstock

Dark times: Syria struggles with increasingly longer power cuts

Electricity cuts are both a symptom and a driver of Syria's economic decline. The country is caught in a vicious downward spiral. Somehow, it needs to turn the tide.

Joseph Daher 27, May 2024
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Politics

Iran’s waning influence

27 June 2025

Our July issue features in-depth articles and expert analyses exploring the future of Iran's influence and the long-term reverberations for the region

Al Majalla - London
Lina Jaradat
Culture & Social Affairs

Gaza’s ‘death trap’ aid centres: a real-life Hunger Games

02 July 2025

Israel's commandeering of aid distribution in Gaza forces starving Palestinians to run the gauntlet at centres with biometric monitoring systems, armed security, and life-or-death hazards

Hala Al-Naji
People gather to celebrate after Lebanese parliament elects army chief Joseph Aoun as the new president, on January 9, 2025, in Al-Aaishiyah, Lebanon. Ramiz Dallah/Getty
Politics

Lebanon’s second chance at statehood

02 July 2025

The crippling of Hezbollah's dominance and the Assad regime's fall in Syria have created a narrow but historic opening for the Lebanese people

Paul Salem
Lina Jaradat
Business & Economy

Oman is quietly redefining its development model

29 June 2025

It is no longer the Gulf's quiet outlier but a country quietly setting a new standard for sustainable economic development in the region

Neil Quilliam
Lina Jaradat
Politics

How the Middle East can capitalise on Iran’s regional setback

02 July 2025

The US security umbrella will focus on Iran's direct threats, but regional states should deal with Tehran's residual proxy groups in the region

James Jeffrey

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OPINIONS

Trade held hostage in the Red Sea

Al Majalla - London

For Turks and Kurds, a decades-long fight may be nearing an end

Omer Onhon
Omer Onhon

US envoy Tom Barrack and the ghost of Lawrence of Arabia

Ibrahim Hamidi
Ibrahim Hamidi

Made in MENA: localising clean energy value chains

Jessica Obeid
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