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النسخة العربية
  • Politics
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  • Tag
  • sanctions

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael parades with the Israeli flag during the dress rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel on May 16, 2025. Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

Cultural boycotts: the double standards that expose Western hypocrisy

The international community's contradictory responses to Ukraine and Gaza lay bare the farce of a supposed rules-based global order

Sawsan Jamil Hasan 16 October 2025
Aliaa Abou Khaddour

New Syria sanctions relief (and risks) explained

Firms relying on the recent wave of lifted sanctions and exceptive relief will face significant hurdles in verifying that transactions do not benefit excluded actors

Matt Zweig and Max Meizlish 30 May 2025
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this handout released on May 14, 2025. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Why Trump decided to lift sanctions on Syria

Trump's decision to reverse decades of US policy on Syria within just a few hours in Riyadh reflects the weight of influence that Middle Eastern leaders can have on Trump's decision-making process

Caroline Rose 20 May 2025
Al Majalla

Trump's move to lift Syria sanctions begs more questions than answers

Trump's announcement and Rubio's subsequent statement offered no clear roadmap for unwinding Syria sanctions layered under multiple authorities

Matt Zweig 19 May 2025
People celebrate in Damascus' Omeyyad square after US President Donald Trump's decision to lift sanctions in Syria, on May 13, 2025. Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP

Syria's long road to economic recovery can finally begin

Trump has lifted US sanctions, offering Syria a "chance at greatness". Despite lingering hurdles, for the first time in a long time, there is an electric sense of hope in the country.

Joseph Daher 15 May 2025
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) watching as US President Donald Trump (C) shakes hands with Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh on May 14, 2025. Bandar AL-JALOUD / Saudi Royal Palace

Trump's lifting of Syria sanctions solidifies Iran's regional defeat

It could very well boost Israel's security as well as that of everyone else in the region

James Jeffrey 14 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
Matthew Zweig, one of the architects of the Caesar Act

Caesar Act architect: Lifting Syria sanctions is "complicated"

The US levied swingeing sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's regime for torturing and killing thousands. Matt Zweig, who helped draft it, speaks to Al Majalla about its details and future.

Ibrahim Hamidi 02 March 2025
Russia’s determination to defy the West’s sanctions was on display at its Davos equivalent in St. Petersburg, with President Vladimir Putin looking South and East for partnerships. Axel Rangel Garcia_AFP_Reuters

Putin touts trade bump with global south at 'Russia's Davos'

Showcasing his economy's resilience despite moves to isolate it, Russia's president was keen to attract potential trade allies at an important conference in St Petersburg.

Nazareth Seferian 16 June 2024
Nathalie Lees

Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ is sailing through sanctions to pay for war

Oil revenue boosting the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine comes from a fleet of ships and intermediaries designed to evade sanctions and price caps. All signs are that it is working.

Nazareth Seferian 30 May 2024
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Reuters-Al Majalla
Politics

Six factors shaping Trump’s calculus on Iran

27 January 2026

From a US military build-up in the region to Trump's growing unpopularity at home, several factors could influence his decision on whether or not to attack

Brian Katulis
A salesman displays gold chains, at Jos Alukkas jewellery store in Bengaluru on 17 September 2025. Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP
Business & Economy

Gold hits record high of $5,100 as traders seek safety

27 January 2026

Investors' flight into precious metals is symptomatic of the economic upheaval and uncertainty being causes by US President Donald Trump and his trade wars

Mohamed Sharki
Al Majalla
Politics

'Gaza has broken every record of modern warfare'

23 January 2026

Former Médecins Sans Frontières president Rony Brauman explains to Al Majalla how Israel's war on Gaza has produced unprecedented suffering and exposed the collapse of international law

Elie Kossaifi
Opinion

Four miscalculations by the SDF

26 January 2026

Recent events do not mean the end of the SDF as a local actor, but rather the end of a political chapter built on outdated assumptions. The next chapter will be more fluid and unpredictable.

Ibrahim Hamidi
Lebanese pop star Haifa Wehbe performs during the Batroun International Festival in the coastal city of Batroun, north of Beirut. ANWAR AMRO / AFP
Culture & Social Affairs

Lebanon finds an anthem out of the reach of drones

26 January 2026

The economy is a mess and the politics are askew but the Lebanese are once again learning how to celebrate, these days to the tune of Badna Nrou, meaning 'We need to calm down'

Samer Abou Hawwach

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OPINIONS

'Life' in a tent pushes the bounds of Gazan endurance

Hala Al-Naji
Hala Al-Naji

Rifaat Assad's death in exile is justice denied

Ibrahim Hamidi
Ibrahim Hamidi

South Yemen dialogue: obstacles and opportunity

Anwar Al-Ansi
Anwar Al-Ansi

Does Trump's Board of Peace spell the end of the UN?

Fares Garabet
Fares Garabet
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