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  • Politics
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  • Syria

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen backs the central government's desire for sovereignty over its territory but says that, in a transition period, this is best done through dialogue and by building trust. Al Majalla/AFP

UN envoy to Syria: true loyalty to the state cannot be coerced

Geir Pedersen condemns Israeli strikes and urges genuine dialogue between Syrian authorities and the local Druze community in Sweida.

Ibrahim Hamidi 18 July 2025
The Great Colonnade (Decumanus Maximus) at Palmyra, one of six Syrian sites on the UNESCO elite list of world heritage. All of them sustained some level of damage in the 13-year civil war. Omar Haj Kadour/AFP

The plundering of Syria's cultural heritage - Part 2

The second instalment of a two-part investigation into the unprecedented looting of Syria's archaeological sites, Al Majalla uncovers the destruction of a rich archaeological landscape

Abdul Rahman Mazhar Halloush 18 July 2025
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf testifies during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee at the US Capitol on November 8, 2023. Alex Wong/Getty Images via AFP

Barbara Leaf: sectarian power-sharing not the answer in Syria

Al Majalla spoke to a seasoned diplomat who helped shape American policy on the Middle East during Joe Biden's presidency, asking her about Syria, US engagement, Iran, and Palestine.

Ahmed Maher 17 July 2025
A visitor makes sketches at Palmyra. During their occupation of the site from 2015, Islamic State (IS) jihadists reduced several temples, columns, and other treasures to heaps of stone. Omar Haj Kadour/AFP

The plundering of Syria’s cultural heritage - Part 1

The first instalment of a two-part investigation into the unprecedented looting of Syria's archaeological sites, Al Majalla uncovers the destruction of a rich archaeological landscape

Abdul Rahman Mazhar Halloush 16 July 2025
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa with Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and others in Damascus on 21 December 2024. They are now trying to create a parliament. Reuters

Between hope and doubt: the making of Syria’s new Parliament

While sham elections have been seen before, a genuinely representative elected legislature has not. The opportunity is huge, and early signs are good, but there are still far too many questions.

Haid Haid 13 July 2025
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters sit on a vehicle in the north of Raqqa city, Syria. Reuters

Fading hopes that the SDF will agree to Syrian integration

The autonomous Kurdish-led group in Syria's north-east has been protected by the US for a decade, but the move now is towards integration with Damascus. Unfortunately, the SDF has not got the memo.

Charles Lister 11 July 2025
Israeli army soldiers add zip ties to the mast of an Israeli flag flying at a special area for exercises during a military drill in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on July 8, 2025. Jalaa Marey/AFP

Why Syria and Israel should walk, not run, towards peace

This is a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity to agree a détente between two hostile neighbours, but getting there is tricky. Several issues must (but can) be overcome.

Michael Harari 11 July 2025
A member of the Syrian security forces searches a defunct drug factory inside an abandoned building near the village of Hawik in the countryside of Al-Qusayr on February 12, 2025. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP

Redefining counter-narcotics in a new Syria

Challenges lie ahead for the new Syrian government as it seeks to close the gap in security policy

Caroline Rose 07 July 2025
A Syrian rebel fighter holds a container of pills of Captagon discovered at a drug manufacturing facility in the city of Douma on the eastern outskirts of Damascus on December 12, 2024. Bakr ALKASEM / AFP

Wasim al-Assad’s arrest is a big win for Syria's war on crime

The arrest of a key player in the former regime's security and illicit apparatus represents a new level of capacity for Syria's new leaders

Caroline Rose 03 July 2025
Lina Jaradat

Administration is integral to Syria’s state-building task

'Look to the woman,' as the French say, for it is the woman that runs the household. Likewise, it is the state's administration that runs the ministries and achieves the objectives set by ministers.

Hussein al-Sharaa 02 July 2025
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A collage of Israel's policy of destruction and starvation in Gaza. Eduardo Ramon
Politics

Unpacking Israel's decisive turn towards savagery

23 April 2026

Israel's gloves-off approach since 2023 didn't emerge out of the blue; it is deeply rooted in Zionist and Israeli military thought.

Majed Kayali
Axel Rangel Garcia
Business & Economy

Test of wills: Iran’s ability to outlast the US blockade

26 April 2026

The standoff in the Hormuz is not simply a question of whether Tehran can survive economic pressure, but whether Washington can sustain the pressure at an acceptable cost.

Alex Vatanka
Sara Padovan
Science & Technology

Iran’s 'mosquito fleet' presents a pesky problem

28 April 2026

The Strait of Hormuz is now poised to become the primary arena of confrontation, with Iran relying on speedboat-driven guerrilla warfare to confront the US navy.

Marco Mossad
A Syrian army soldier holds a national flag featuring Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in front of a building left in ruins on 5 June 2013 in the city of Qusayr in the Homs province. AFP
Politics

Syria's taswiya slow roll creates a host of problems

28 April 2026

Former regime soldiers are stuck in limbo, as their undocumented status prevents them from working, travelling, and curbs family members' access to education, healthcare and social services

Haid Haid
Culture & Social Affairs

The Arab women raising the bar in travel literature

28 April 2026

In recent years, travel writing has witnessed a striking revival, though along a different path, one now charted by Arab women's voices.

Ibrahim Adel

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OPINIONS

Hormuz face-off? US and Iran in a battle of wills

Fares Garabet
Fares Garabet

Russia mulls Mali strategy after failed coup attempt

Anton Mardasov
Anton Mardasov

In a divided Lebanon, middle ground is largely illusory

Houssam Itani
Houssam Itani

The UAE’s departure from OPEC may not break the cartel

The Economist
The Economist
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