Middle East

Shehab Al Makahleh  Special to Al Arabiya English | Monday, 4 September 2017  Jordan has expressed optimism over the reopening of its border crossing in southern Syria, with government spokesman Mohammed Momani affirming that relations between the two sides were “heading in the right direction”. Expressing satisfaction at increased …

Stana Dubajic • With the current US administration visibly divided over all major international issues, coupled with the fierce fight of the American political establishment to discredit Donald Trump’s presidency, and the diplomatic Cold War with Russia, the questions arise as to which Western country will replace Washington in the settlement …

On August 31, the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups of Jaysh Ahrar al-Ashayer and Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiya released a Syrian pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Ali al-Helw and 30 Syrian soldiers. Al-Helw’s warplane, a Mig-23BN, crashed in the northern Suwayda countryside on August 15. Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiya captured the …

by Nedka Babliku • With the opening of the 59th Damascus International Fair this month after a five-year hiatus, one can assume with cautious optimism that Syria has won the war against terrorism and Imperialist aggression, if not yet militarily, certainly intellectually and spiritually. The Fair was a major …

By Adam Garrie | August 28, 2017 – There is no doubt that Vladimir Putin is the world’s most powerful President. By comparison, while China’s Xi Jinping is highly powerful and intelligent, China’s leadership retains a collective element while in Russia, Vladimir Putin maintains an unwritten but obvious veto power over all major decisions. …

By Shehab Al Makahleh, Special to Al Arabiya English | Friday, 25 August 2017 • Jordan and Iraq have agreed to reopen the Turaibil – al-Karamah border crossing shortly after Eid Al Adha. A Jordanian security official has told Al Arabiya English that the Karamah crossing will be opened for …

By M K Bhadrakumar  The geopolitics of the Middle East is witnessing a tectonic shift with the emergence of a Turkish-Iranian axis that would have seemed unbelievable until recently. The 3-day visit by Iran’s chief of general staff General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri to Turkey last week was the first …

by Shehab Al-Makahleh | Published August 25th, 2017  | Foreign Policy Association • As heavy fighting in the city of Hama reminds us of the seemingly endless misery in Syria, a hopeful breakthrough has been overlooked in the media: Syrian opposition forces met in Jordan for two days to …

The Islamic State (ISIL) has been given one last chance to leave central Syria before the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) closes the 5 km gap between the Al-Raqqa and Homs governorates. With some of their forces already besieged in eastern Hama, the Islamic State cannot afford to have …