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  • Russia

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
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian after signing the association treaty in the Kremlin on 17 January 2025. AFP

What would regime change in Iran mean for Russia?

Moscow and Tehran cooperate militarily to an extent, but bilateral trade is low, and Russia doesn't consider Iran a strategic ally

Anton Mardasov 06 February 2026
Al Majalla

Russia could feel the economic screws tighten in 2026

The Kremlin's economic indicators are causing unease, while smaller states in Russia's sphere of influence are eyeing opportunities to reduce their reliance on Moscow. What will the year ahead bring?

Nazareth Seferian 08 January 2026
A Russian navy ship docked at the port of the Sudanese city of Port Sudan on 27 April 2021. Ibrahim Ishaq / AFP

Why a Russian base on Sudan’s coast spells trouble for Egypt

Sudan's army needs a Russian lifeline to avoid collapse in the ongoing civil war. The price is a naval facility in Port Sudan, giving Moscow access to the Red Sea.

Amr Emam 13 December 2025
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) looks on during a meeting with US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 20 November 2025. AFP

Trump presents Ukraine with a ‘very tough choice’

Zelensky said he's being asked to decide between Ukraine losing its dignity or losing a key partner

Sam Skove and John Haltiwanger 25 November 2025
Al Majalla's Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Hamidi interviews Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on 13 November 2025. Axel Rangel Garcia

Asaad Shaibani on how Syria untangled its Russian knot

In Part 1 of a two-part interview with Al Majalla, Syria's foreign minister explains how the Assad regime fell and how President Ahmed al-Sharaa went from a wanted man to a world leader

Ibrahim Hamidi 21 November 2025
A member of the former rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham stands guard near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar

Syria after Assad: reclaiming a national identity lost to regional overreach

The Assads bound Syria to regional power plays far beyond its means. As the country embarks on a new path, hollow rhetoric must be replaced with a vision grounded in freedom, equality, and sovereignty

Majed Kayali 19 November 2025
AFP-Reuters-Eduardo Ramon

Russia’s pragmatic retreat from the Middle East

Moscow has its work cut out in Ukraine, where the ongoing war is a drain on resources. This means that the lofty regional ambitions it set out in 2023 have had to be recalibrated.

Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy 02 November 2025
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends the Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi on October 2, 2025. Mikhail METZEL / AFP

After Valdai: Putin moves from ideology to action

The Russian president says the next step is shaping a new construct—sovereignty as a service, as a resource, as an exportable value—which can already be seen in Africa

Sergey Eledinov 19 October 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa hold a meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on October 15, 2025. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AFP

Unpacking Sharaa's diplomatic overture to Putin

In Moscow, Syria's new president said he wants to restore and redefine relations with Russia—a former foe. But is this a genuine olive branch or a message to Washington?

Samer Elias 17 October 2025
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Mark Smith
Politics

Trump’s deal: repercussions in the Gulf, Iran, and Israel

18 June 2026

The MOU reached by the two warring nations forces a rethink of the Middle East's political, security, and economic landscape

Al Majalla - London
Opinion

Hormuz may reopen, but the deal is strewn with mines

21 June 2026

Perhaps Lebanon, not the nuclear file, will become the real test of the agreement's ability to survive

Ibrahim Hamidi
Al Majalla
Politics

New laws will embed Israel in US security agencies

16 June 2026

Legislation to fund the American military and intelligence services will include requirements that Israeli defence firms be involved in sensitive projects and that classified information be shared

Robert Ford
Business & Economy

Hormuz is open, but obstacles to trade still linger

22 June 2026

Even if diplomatic progress continues, the Strait could be closed again. As a result, the geopolitical risk premium attached to Gulf energy exports is unlikely to disappear entirely.

Neil Quilliam
A painting by the Egyptian artist George Bahgory from the series “Love and Football”.
George Bahgoury via Facebook
Culture & Social Affairs

Football and art: fusing a popular sport with culture

22 June 2026

Artists use paintings, sculpture, murals, and digital designs to iconise, idolise, and mythologise football culture in a language understood by all

Mimoza Al-Arrawi

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OPINIONS

Football and art: fusing a popular sport with culture

Mimoza Al-Arrawi
Mimoza Al-Arrawi

The fall of Keir Starmer

 John Kampfner
 John Kampfner

Hormuz is open, but obstacles to trade still linger

Neil Quilliam
Neil Quilliam

10 years on, Brexit continues to divide Britons

Con Coughlin
Con Coughlin
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