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  • Syria
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) and Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov posing for a picture during their meeting in Damascus on January 29, 2025. Reuters

Al-Sharaa's Russia balancing act

Syria's new interim president seems to be wavering between two choices: maintain ties with Moscow despite domestic and international opposition or sever ties and risk alienating a global power

Haid Haid 06, Feb 2025
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa shake hands during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on February 4, 2025. OZAN KOSE / AFP

Damascus and Ankara discuss Syria’s key Kurdish question

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdoğan are both concerned about Kurdish separatism for slightly different reasons. What will they do about it?

Omer Onhon 06, Feb 2025
Alexandra España

Ahmed Sharaa: Closing ranks

One of his most pressing priorities as Syria's interim president will be to integrate its myriad armed military factions into a unified army

Al Majalla - London 04, Feb 2025
Axel Rangel Garcia

Will Syria's myriad militias unite under one national army?

Some are happy to do so, some may need coaxing, and others have completely ruled it out. Al Majalla gives an overview of the different armed factions and what they want.

Abbas Sharifa 04, Feb 2025
The most famous of the militias who fought in the American Revolution was the Minutemen, who played an important role in the initial years of the war effort against the British. Shutterstock

Militias in history: From ancient roots to modern might

HTS's recent overthrow of the Assad regime recalls the key role militias played throughout history—from Sudan's recent civil war all the way back to the American Revolution. Al Majalla explains.

Steve Hewitt 04, Feb 2025
Al Majalla

From Quwatli to Sharaa: The history of Syrian-Saudi relations

The visit of a Syrian president to Saudi Arabia in 1945 ushered in a new era in the region. Will the visit of Syria's new president on 2 February also be the start of a new chapter?

Sami Moubayed 03, Feb 2025
Children eat bread on a street near a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 24, 2024. REUTERS

The state of play for sanctions in Syria

The US can either undertake major sanctions relief that allows for significant cash flow and economic normalisation for the new Syria or utilise it as leverage against the new HTS-led government

Caroline Rose 03, Feb 2025
Elderly members of the Druze community gather in solidarity with the victims of the attack in Majdal Shams on July 30, 2024, in the Syrian town of Quneitra. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP

Syrian Druze wary of Israel's creeping presence in Quneitra

Residents of Quneitra province are wary of a creeping Israeli presence in their land, with some vowing "not to betray" those who died to keep the land Syrian

Shelly Kittleson 01, Feb 2025
A man walks close to a fire raging at a facility in al-Qahtaniyah in northeastern Syria close to the Turkish border on October 5, 2023.

SDF-HTS standoff: Best and worst-case scenarios

While solving the SDF situation in itself will not guarantee success for the larger Syria project, failing to integrate them will almost certainly torpedo that project

James Jeffrey 31, Jan 2025
Axel Rangel Garcia_Al Majalla

From jihadists to Syria's new rulers, HTS's evolution explained

Over 13 years, Syria's largest armed faction has evolved from IS offshoot to Al-Qaeda affiliate to local militia and, finally, the national government. Like Syria, it has completely transformed.

Abbas Sharifa 30, Jan 2025
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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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Michael Horowitz
Michael Horowitz

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