ع
Sections
  • Politics
  • Culture & Social Affairs
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • Documents & Memoirs
Regions
  • Gulf
  • MENA
  • Europe
  • USA
  • Asia
  • World
More
  • Videos
  • Cartoons
  • World in photos
  • Infographics
  • Profiles
  • Newsletter

LATEST ISSUE

Latest Issue
Magazine Archive
النسخة العربية
  • Politics
  • Culture & Social Affairs
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • Tag
  • United States

President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders establishing the  “Trump Gold Card” and introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas on September 19, 2025, in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik / AFP

Trump's steep H-1B visa fees will do more harm than good

The president has slapped a one-off six-figure fee on visa petitions for specialist occupations seeking to work in the US. This will have huge repercussions for both industries and countries.

Abdel-Rahman Ayas 28 September 2025
Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (C) reviews a military honour guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) during a welcoming ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People on January 31, 2019. GREG BAKER / AFP

Pivot to China? Gulf states mull options after Doha strike

Israel's attack in Qatar erodes Gulf states' trust in the US and serves as a stark reminder that they cannot depend on American security guarantees

Yang Xiaotong 13 September 2025
Dela wa Monga, an artisanal miner, holds a cobalt stone at the Shabara artisanal mine near Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo on October 12, 2022. Junior KANNAH / AFP

Ending wars in exchange for minerals: a new US model?

Three decades of fighting in eastern Congo involving Rwanda and others was supposed to have come to an end in June. Is US economic engagement the magic wand its wielder says it is?

Sergey Eledinov 06 September 2025
Elon Musk (R) has laid down the gauntlet to US President Donald Trump (L) with a new political party formed in response to their disagreement over Trump's tax and spending plans, which will add $3tn to the national debt. Dave Murray

Elon Musk’s new political party: grand plans and a tall task

America's political duopoly seems ironclad, having last been broken by Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Several have tried since, but none have succeeded. Can America's richest man break the mould?

Christopher Phillips 11 July 2025
Troops from the US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) training SDF fighters in Syria's north-eastern Hasakah province on 7 September 2022. Delil Souleiman/AFP

Exit signs: America’s full withdrawal from Syria seems imminent

A flurry of decisions suggests that the end is nigh for US troops in Syria, and that this may come sooner than expected. In laying the foundations for withdrawal, Donald Trump wants 'out' by Christmas

Caroline Rose 07 June 2025

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
Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi prior to the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2025. Mikhail METZEL / AFP

As Trump visited the Gulf, Egypt was busy meeting with its new friends

These days, Cairo looks more to Beijing and Moscow than to Washington, a policy change with its roots in the toppling of Hosni Mubarak more than a decade ago.

Amr Emam 20 May 2025
A currency exchange shop in Moscow displays the Russian ruble to dollar exchange rate on November 27, 2024. AFP

Even if sanctions are eased, Russia's economy will be strained

While some indicators are positive, others are troubling. The arrival of Donald Trump in the White House has given the Kremlin a political boost, and lifting sanctions will help, but it is no panacea.

Nazareth Seferian 16 March 2025
Brian Stauffer

The effects of a Trump or Harris presidency on the Middle East

Donald Trump's previous administration offers clues as to how he would approach 2025-29, but Kamala Harris is more of an unknown quantity. Whoever wins, their policies would ripple through the region

Paul Salem 04 August 2024
US Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign event on July 27, 2024. Stephanie Scarbrough/Reuters

Can Kamala Harris win?

Joe Biden's vice-president has an extraordinary opportunity. But she also has a mountain to climb

The Economist 30 July 2024
  •  Load More
  • Popular
  • Editor's Pick
Pete Reynolds
Politics

Benjamin Netanyahu is damaged goods in the West

25, Oct 2026

Key voices in the West appear to be throwing him under the bus ahead of the approaching Israeli election

Brian Katulis
Al Majalla
Business & Economy

Energy security and resiliency in an uncertain world

24, Oct 2026

Türkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources writes for Al Majalla

Alparslan Bayraktar
People shout slogans as they gather after a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war was announced, in Tehran, Iran, on 8 April 2026. Majid Asgaripour / Reuters
Politics

An emboldened Iran could trigger an IS comeback

22, Oct 2026

Should the US and Israel fail in their war on Iran, Tehran would likely expand its regional influence at the expense of Sunni Arabs, who could potentially turn to extremist groups to fight back

James Jeffrey
Al Majalla
Culture & Social Affairs

The Palestinian flag in France: from student activism to social unrest 

23, Oct 2026

Once a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, it is now being used by different groups to advance their own grievances and agendas

Waddah Abu Jamea
Ukranian Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba listens to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General during the alliance's 75th anniversary at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 4 April 2024. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP
Politics

Dmytro Kuleba on Trump’s drift towards Moscow

24, Oct 2026

Ukraine's former foreign minister is pragmatic about the war, peace talks, Kyiv's opponent, Washington, the Chinese, and the Gulf. His thoughts are a fascinating insight into Europe's biggest battle

Ahmed Maher

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter

Get the best of Al Majalla, straight to your inbox.

Your newsletter subscriptions are subject to Al Majalla privacy policy and terms and conditions.

OPINIONS

The Middle East: three dates, one uncertain future

Ibrahim Hamidi
Ibrahim Hamidi

Iran's new defence minister is a missile man, not a military man

Alex Vatanka
Alex Vatanka

Benjamin Netanyahu is damaged goods in the West

Brian Katulis
Brian Katulis

Tale‘ Nazel and the meaning of female independence

Sarah Ashraf
Sarah Ashraf
MORE FROM OPINIONS
logo
  • Politics
  • Culture & Social Affairs
  • Business & Economy
  • Science & Technology
  • Documents & Memoirs
  • Gulf
  • MENA
  • Europe
  • USA
  • Asia
  • World
  • Videos
  • Cartoons
  • World in photos
  • Infographics
  • Profiles
  • About Al Majalla
  • Al Majalla Team
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact us
logo

© Al Majalla Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

0:00:00
0:00:00