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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • Syria

Lifting the veil on secret US-Assad talks

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.

Ibrahim Hamidi 21 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
Lina Jaradat

With his Syria gamble, Trump opens a door

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

Frederic C. Hof 18 May 2025
Israeli spy Eli Cohen.

This day in history: Israeli spy Eli Cohen executed in Damascus

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

Sami Moubayed 18 May 2025

'Make Syria Great Again': how Sunni populism is reshaping post-war Syria

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

Malik al-Abdeh 16 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
American President Richard Nixon made an official visit to Damascus on June 15, 1974, and was welcomed by Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. Getty

From Nixon to Clinton: Syrian-American summits since 1945

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, will meet Donald Trump in Riyadh today, making him the first Syrian leader to meet with a US president since Clinton's meeting with Hafez al-Assad in 2000

Sami Moubayed 14 May 2025
Lina Jaradat

Ahmed al-Sharaa: the Syrian president with much to prove

Al-Sharaa met Trump today in Riyadh, after the US president lifted sanctions on Syria on Tuesday, offering it "a chance at greatness". But who is the Syrian leader thrust into the global spotlight?

Bilal Saab 14 May 2025
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Stefano Summo
Politics

Can the Houthis be defeated?

15, Oct 2026

In this week's cover story, Al Majalla examines the military balance of power on the ground, the networks through which the Houthis obtain weapons, and the foreign support they receive

Al Majalla - London
Turkish Navy's UH-60 Black Hawk (naval/S-70B variant) with T129 ATAK participate in a ceremonial parade during the Denizkurdu-I/2026 Exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Aksaz, in Mugla, on 24 September 2026. ADEM ALTAN / AFP
Politics

Regional crises and tensions: the view from Ankara

20, Oct 2026

From its growing defensive support for Saudi Arabia to its escalating tensions with Israel and Azerbaijan, Türkiye has much to navigate

Omer Onhon
The Egyptian Air Force aerobatics team "Silver Stars" performs during the second international air show and aerospace expo at El Alamein International Airport in El Alamein, Egypt, on 9 September 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Politics

Cairo pledges to back Riyadh in its fight with the Houthis

19, Oct 2026

Their defence ties date back decades, so it is no surprise Egypt is standing by Saudi Arabia at a critical time for both countries

Amr Emam
Sara Padovan
Politics

Student protests test France's Republican promise

18, Oct 2026

Education reform is at the heart of the demonstrations shaking Paris and beyond, with thousands already arrested, but the government's ability to meet learners' demands is limited

Elie Kossaifi
Helena Perez Garcia
Profiles

Ms. Rachel, Gaza, and the power of education

13, Oct 2026

As YouTube star Accurso's influence grew, she transitioned from educator to child advocate. But it only became 'controversial' when she spoke up for Palestinian kids

Hala Al-Naji

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OPINIONS

Trump, Putin offer to end Ukraine, Iran wars

Fares Garabet
Fares Garabet

IS planning to step up attacks in Iraq's 'fragile regions'

Rustum Mahmud
Rustum Mahmud

Yasmina Nysten and the elusive nature of memory

Mimoza Al-Arrawi
Mimoza Al-Arrawi

Regional crises and tensions: the view from Ankara

Omer Onhon
Omer Onhon
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