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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • Syria

Subhi Barakat was elected as the Syrian Union's first president—a notable from Antioch who had served as MP in Syria’s first parliament, known as the Syrian National Congress of 1919. Wikipedia

The short-lived Syrian federalism experiment of 1922

Although it scored some achievements, the Syrian Union was controversial from the start and became a huge headache for the French Mandate, which dissolved it after two years

Sami Moubayed 12 December 2024
The leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, addresses a crowd at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP

What needs to happen to rebuild Syria

Early signs are good, but in this crucial map-drawing transition period, there are some important lessons to be learnt and some understandable urges to be quashed if civil war is to be avoided

Omer Onhon 12 December 2024

Regional events shift focus from Gaza

Fares Garabet 12 December 2024
Rebel forces shoot in the air as they celebrate in the central Syrian city of Homs early on December 8, 2024. Aref TAMMAWI / AFP

Is Syria heading for a bright new beginning or an even darker future?

Syrians are rejoicing over the overthrow of a despised dictator, but it could still be some time before they genuinely reap the benefits of liberation. The coming months will be telling.

Con Coughlin 11 December 2024
People hold a large Syrian opposition flag at Umayyad Square in Damascus on December 9, 2024. Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP

The history of Syria's not-so-new flag

A flag that has become synonymous with opposition to Assad rule was actually the flag of the first Syrian Republic under French mandate. Al Majalla debunks regime lies about what this flag represents.

Sami Moubayed 11 December 2024
An Iranian man reads a newspaper with a picture of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Tehran, Iran December 8, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/Reuters

Syria and the future of Iran

If it's not careful, Tehran could soon experience what their Syrian client just did: the sudden implosion of a rotten regime 

Frederic C. Hof 10 December 2024

Assad flees Syria after lightening opposition offensive

Fares Garabet 09 December 2024
A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama following its capture. OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP

Assad's fall: The end of an era

In just over a week, a lightning rebel offensive has collapsed five decades of draconian Assad rule. Al Majalla looks back at the political career of the former Syrian president.

Sami Moubayed 08 December 2024
A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken in a Syrian regime's Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of the central city of Hama following its capture. OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP

Why did Assad fall so easily?

After over two decades of rule, following three decades of his father Hafez al-Assad's rule, Bashar has fled following a lightning rebel offensive that swept the country

Omer Onhon 07 December 2024
A protester holds a poster with an image of South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol during a candlelight rally calling for the ouster of the president in Gwanghwamun in Seoul on December 5, 2024. ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP

Are democracies doomed to gridlock and dysfunction?

From France to South Korea, US democratic allies are descending into political chaos

Emma Ashford and Matthew Kroenig 07 December 2024
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar, and Trump advisor Massad Boulos in Washington on 29 June, 2026. @US_SrAdvisorAF/X
Politics

US plan for Libya: unification or management of division?

26 June 2026

A US envoy wants the institutions of western Libya to accommodate the son of an eastern warlord as Libyan president. Is this another doomed effort to unite the feuding factions, or could it work?

Areig Elhag
Dave Murray
Science & Technology

More than a game: a look inside the mind of a football fan

30 June 2026

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 shows, identity, belonging, and tension combine to make football fandom unlike any other sport. So, what is going on in fans' brains?

Alaa Emara
A fighter loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan holds up a weapon backdropped by the minaret of a mosque, during a graduation ceremony in the southeastern Gedaref state on 27 May 2024. AFP
Politics

The quiet push to finally end Sudan's civil war

29 June 2026

External actors and some domestic parties are believed to be working behind the scenes towards a settlement. Why now?

Shawgi Abdelazim
Chinese President Xi Jinping stands in the centre of the hall during the China-Africa forum at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing, on 5 September 2024.
 AFP
Business & Economy

China doubles down on Africa with its zero-tariff policy

01 July 2026

Beijing's duty-free access for African exports promises mutual economic gains, but more importantly, it deepens its strategic influence across the continent

Rabia Abdul Salam
Eduardo Ramon
Politics

Why siccing Syria's army on Hezbollah is so dangerous

28 June 2026

If Trump's idea is implemented, it would all but certainly further undermine regional stability and US interests in the Middle East

David Schenker

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OPINIONS

Fighting in the Gulf renews focus on the Strait of Malacca

Abdel-Rahman Ayas
Abdel-Rahman Ayas

Xi Jinping and China’s deferred succession question

Charbel Barakat
Charbel Barakat

Iran is taking its proxy tactics and applying them to Hormuz

Alia Mansour
Alia Mansour

Syria cannot counter incitement with opaque and selective arrests

Haid Haid
Haid Haid
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