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  • Syria

Iraqi-American musician and researcher Mark Gergis, who co-founded Syrian Cassette Archives, began collecting cassette tapes during visits to Syria in the 1990s. Syrian Cassette Archive

How cassette tapes preserved Syria's unofficial soundtrack

For nearly three decades, these recordings carried voices ignored by official media across the country's streets, taxis and nightclubs. Now, they are being digitised into a comprehensive archive.

Khalil Sweileh 27 March 2026
A girl shows a peace sign, as Syrians gather to mark the anniversary of the 2011 uprising against the ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria, on 15 March 2026. REUTERS / Yamam Al Shaar

One year on, Syria's National Dialogue promises fall flat

The rushed 2025 rollout raised questions about the government's seriousness. Since then, no meaningful record has been published, fuelling fears that it was just a show.

Haid Haid 17 March 2026
A boy plays with his sheep next to an unexploded missile that landed in an open field on the outskirts of Qamishli, eastern Syria, on 5 March 2026. DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP

Syria may escape war but not its economic fallout

Even if it stays on the sidelines of the US-Iran war, the country is fragile. Unlike larger economies that can absorb shocks in global markets, it has little room to cushion the impact.

Haid Haid 09 March 2026
Axel Rangel Garcia

Alternative security models for Syria amid US pullout

The announcement last week that the US was pulling its 1,000 troops there has sparked worry, as American presence is seen as crucial for integrating the Kurds and fighting IS

James Jeffrey 07 March 2026
People wave independence-era Syrian flags as they gather at Saadallah al-Jabiri Square after the Friday noon prayer in Aleppo on 13 December 2024. Ozan KOSE / AFP

Syria's civic space opens...but not for everyone

Forms of civic engagement unimaginable under the previous regime are now unfolding. But authorities have also been accused of arbitrary restrictions, selective enforcement, and sudden reversals.

Haid Haid 20 February 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi @USAMBTurkiye via X

SDF presence in Munich raises eyebrows in Ankara

Despite having signed an agreement to integrate into the Syrian state, its leaders attended a key security conference in Germany as a separate delegation from Damascus, in a move that unnerves Türkiye

Omer Onhon 18 February 2026
Burkina Faso's Capt. Ibrahim Traore, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands before an official ceremony to welcome the leaders of delegations to the Russia Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 27, 2023

Why the ‘unreliable allies’ narrative doesn't track in Africa

A growing 'unreliable allies' narrative claims Russia and China are abandoning their African partners. The evidence suggests otherwise

Sergey Eledinov 08 February 2026
People and rescuers inspect the damage at the site of a reported suicide attack at the Saint Elias church in Damascus' Dwelaa area on 22 June 2025. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP

Ansar al-Sunna: the murky new jihadist group in Syria

A faceless new group that seeks to provoke sectarian violence is claiming responsibility for attacks that later transpire to be the work of others. Who are they, and do they matter?

Abdelrahman Al-Hajj 07 February 2026
Eduardo Ramon

The return of Al-Jazira and the question of Syria’s economic renewal

As Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Al-Hasakah return to state authority, this resource-rich region re-emerges as a cornerstone of economic recovery

Hussein al-Sharaa 06 February 2026
Eduardo Ramon

How the US got the SDF to capitulate to Damascus

Al Majalla publishes a full account of what transpired during negotiations, the draft integration framework, and proposed constitutional amendments

Ibrahim Hamidi 03 February 2026
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Photos of the new head of the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad), Roman Gofman (right); Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani; and the US Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack.
 Al Majalla
Politics

Why Israel's strike in northern Syria surprised Damascus

20 August 2026

Shaibani held several calls with the Mossad chief days before the strike, explaining why the airport's runway was being rehabilitated and that it had no hostile intentions, but Israel bombed it anyway

Ibrahim Hamidi
Pakistan's Ambassador Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, attends a United Nations Security Council meeting after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, in New York, on 28 February 2026. REUTERS/Heather Khalifa
Politics

Pakistan's UN envoy: there is no military solution to Iran war

20 August 2026

Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad speaks to Al Majalla about Islamabad's diplomatic role in the talks between the US and Iran, its balancing act between Tehran and Riyadh and the Mecca Pact

Ahmed Maher
Al Majalla
Science & Technology

Why Israel's outsized influence on global tech is worrying

19 August 2026

From Apple's chips to Nvidia's data centres, Israeli tech has embedded itself in the global tech ecosystem. This comes with grave national security implications.

Marco Mossad
Lina Jaradat
Politics

Ahmed al-Sharaa: the next battle

20 August 2026

Balancing the competing interests of regional and global stakeholders is no easy task. Can the president keep Syria from becoming an arena for regional conflict?

Al Majalla - London
Stock markets reacted to an uptick in US inflation, suggesting that President Donald Trump's tariffs were impacting the American economy. Angela Weiss/AFP
Business & Economy

Why bond markets are unnerving rich-world politicians

20 August 2026

As stocks rise ever higher, yields have been climbing ominously

The Economist

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OPINIONS

Anthony Fauci and the politics of expertise

Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra
Stefanie Butendieck Hijerra

Is an Israel-Syria pincer attack on Hezbollah in the works?

Elie Kossaifi
Elie Kossaifi

Fedorov emerges as a potential political rival to Zelensky

Con Coughlin
Con Coughlin

Four new Saudi films tackle themes of death and renewal

Abdullah Al Duhailan
Abdullah Al Duhailan
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