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  • SDF

US forces patrol oil fields near Syria's north-east in the Qahtaniyah countryside of Hasakeh province on 3 September 2024. Delil Souleiman/AFP

The Palmyra attack and what it means for US-Syria cooperation

An Islamic State operative infiltrated Syria's security set-up and waited until he was with American soldiers. The assault requires an urgent reassessment of personnel and recruitment in Damascus.

Subhi Franjieh 16 December 2025
AFP_Al Majalla

Forging Syrian national unity is key to regional peace

Damascus has already taken steps towards this end, but international support will still be vital. It can also draw on relevant elements from Iraq's governing model.

James Jeffrey 22 October 2025
Al Majalla

Ilham Ahmed on negotiating Syria’s future

In a wide-ranging sitdown interview with Al Majalla, AANES Foreign Affairs Chief Ilham Ahmed lays out the lingering points of contention with Damascus and the way forward

Ibrahim Hamidi 03 October 2025
The "Unity of Position" conference, held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakah on August 8, 2025. Social media

Heading for a showdown? SDF conference riles Damascus

Syria's government needs to centralise decision-making and bring armed groups to heel, but Kurds in the north-east want to establish a 'coalition of the unwilling' with Druze and Alawites. What now?

Subhi Franjieh 13 August 2025
The largest Syrian flag was raised on the highest pole, 110 meters high, in Tishreen Park in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on June 4. Getty

Taif offers clues on the right governing formula for a new Syria

Questions of autonomy, integration, participation, and administration are key to resolving Syria's many disputes among its many groups. Could a 1989 agreement for Lebanon show the way?

Sihanouk Dibo 13 August 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
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi (C) and Hamid Darbandi (C-R behind), envoy of Iraqi Kurdish politician Masoud Barzani, attend the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP

In U-turn, Syrian Kurds are now demanding federalism

Having agreed on an outline for integration with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa last month, Kurdish-led groups have now issued a raft of contradictory demands, angering both Damascus and Ankara

Omer Onhon 30 April 2025
The US-led Operation Inherent Resolve coalition against the Islamic State (IS) trains SDF fighters in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on September 7, 2022. Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP

Where does the counter-IS mission stand after Sharaa-SDF deal?

An SDF shift away from the US partnership and the risk of IS resurgence could undo years of hard-won progress in the fight against terrorism

Caroline Rose 21 April 2025
Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi during the signing of the agreement to integrate the SDF into state institutions, Damascus, March 10, 2025. AFP

Reading between the lines of the Sharaa-Abdi deal

Al Majalla's exclusive interview with YPG commander Mazloum Abdi gives great insight into a landmark deal reached between Damascus and Syria's Kurds. This is my take on what Abdi really meant.

Omer Onhon 14 March 2025
Ahmed al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi during the signing of the agreement to integrate the SDF into state institutions, Damascus, March 10, 2025. AFP

Sharaa's political pragmatism and the myth of sectarianism

After a hugely important deal to integrate Syria's Kurds, there is a growing realisation among myriad factions that national unity is crucial for the country's survival

Ahmed Maher 13 March 2025
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A picture of Farid al-Madhan, known as "Caesar," wearing a blue robe in the US Congress.
 Reuters/ Al Majalla
Politics

Syria's new post-sanctions test

22 December 2025

Damascus finally gets breathing room after the US repealed its draconian Caesar sanctions, but it can't exhale just yet. Al Majalla explains why.

Haid Haid
Opinion

Israeli gas and the crafting of a 'new Middle East'

22 December 2025

The US is poised to use Israeli gas as a lever to keep Iran on the backfoot following its regional setback, and it could even use it to undercut Russia's economy

Ibrahim Hamidi
Women and children at the Zamzam displacement camp, close to el-Fasher in North Darfur, Sudan, in January 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Zakaria
Politics

After el-Fasher: the trajectory of war in Sudan

16 November 2025

Washington seems to have changed its tone after the RSF committed atrocities in October, putting increasing pressure on the foreign backers of a paramilitary that now controls Darfur. What next?

Amgad Fareid Eltayeb
Despite a new president, a new prime minister, a new government, and a new central bank governor, what has actually changed after Lebanon's economic collapse? Lina Jaradat
Business & Economy

A state in crisis: Lebanon’s struggle to restore financial stability 

20 December 2025

Following the appointment of a new president, Lebanon has struggled to come to terms with the deep-rooted challenges of its financial collapse

Toufic Chanbour
Culture & Social Affairs

This year in film: landmark moments across platforms

22 December 2025

Al Majalla looks back at a memorable and haunting year in film, with Kaouther Ben Hania's The Voice of Hind Rajab one of 2025's most powerful works

Wael Said

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OPINIONS

The global AI race heats up

Al Majalla - London
Al Majalla - London

Israeli gas and the crafting of a 'new Middle East'

Ibrahim Hamidi
Ibrahim Hamidi

Syria's new post-sanctions test

Haid Haid
Haid Haid

This year in film: landmark moments across platforms

Wael Said
Wael Said
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