Editor selections

Editor selections

Features Washington Won’t Normalize Ties with Damascus, Won’t Prevent Others from Doing So

Washington Won’t Normalize Ties with Damascus, Won’t Prevent Others from Doing So

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent remarks on Syria have been the clearest American position on the war-torn country. They were clear for what they…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Features Lebanon Sleeps under a ‘Truce,’ Fears the Next Day

Lebanon Sleeps under a ‘Truce,’ Fears the Next Day

Clashes in the Tayouneh area of the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, have left new holes in buildings that witnessed the 1975 civil war. These…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Features Lebanon to Plunge Into Deeper Crisis Over Beirut Blast Probe Tension

Lebanon to Plunge Into Deeper Crisis Over Beirut Blast Probe Tension

Growing tension over a judicial probe into last year's Beirut port blast threatens to push Lebanon into yet another political crisis, testing Prime Minister…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Armed Clash Looms between Sadr, PMF Factions in Wake of Iraq Elections

Armed Clash Looms between Sadr, PMF Factions in Wake of Iraq Elections

An armed clash appears to be looming on the horizon between Shiite powers in Iraq in wake of the unexpected results of Sunday’s parliamentary elections. The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Features Iraq Elections Reshape Political Alliances

Iraq Elections Reshape Political Alliances

A senior Iraqi politician described the initial results of the early parliamentary elections as a “political earthquake”. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Features Rifaat Assad: Challenged his Brother for Syria’s Presidency, Aged in Exile, Pardoned by his Nephew

Rifaat Assad: Challenged his Brother for Syria’s Presidency, Aged in Exile, Pardoned by his Nephew

The Syria that Rifaat al-Assad left when he was vice president to Hafez al-Assad decades ago is not the same one that he returned to after his nephew,…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Interviews Togolese FM: We Look Forward to Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia

Togolese FM: We Look Forward to Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia

Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey revealed that his country, which enjoys the highest living standards in Africa, is moving closer to building a…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Features Normalization of Ties with Damascus and Caesar Act

Normalization of Ties with Damascus and Caesar Act

The train of normalization of ties bound for Damascus has departed. Still, the dispute remains over how fast it should go, the stops it should make, and the…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Features Azerbaijan-Iran; Tension That Should Not Turn Into a Bigger Problem

Azerbaijan-Iran; Tension That Should Not Turn Into a Bigger Problem

Azerbaijan and Iran have deep historical, cultural relations. They share a border of about 760 kilometers. Since Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1991,…

Omer Onhon
Features Secret Jordanian Document Proposes ‘Change in Behavior’ of Syrian Regime

Secret Jordanian Document Proposes ‘Change in Behavior’ of Syrian Regime

A “secret” Jordanian document has proposed a new approach to dealing with the Syrian regime. The document puts in place steps that aim to achieve gradual…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Interviews Iraqi Minister of Culture to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Working On Real Partnerships with Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Minister of Culture to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Working On Real Partnerships with Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Hassan Nadhem, said that his country’s participation as a guest of honor at the Riyadh International…

Arab World Sadr Calls for ‘Saving Iraq’ without Specifying How

Sadr Calls for ‘Saving Iraq’ without Specifying How

Tweets by Sadrist movement leader, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr aimed at disciplining unruly members of his movement differ than statements of reprimand issues by…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)