ISIS Attacks Force Suwaida to Implement ‘Administrative Decentralization’

Scene after an ISIS attack in Suwaida in July. Asharq Al-Awsat
Scene after an ISIS attack in Suwaida in July. Asharq Al-Awsat
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ISIS Attacks Force Suwaida to Implement ‘Administrative Decentralization’

Scene after an ISIS attack in Suwaida in July. Asharq Al-Awsat
Scene after an ISIS attack in Suwaida in July. Asharq Al-Awsat

Syria’s Suwaida has been trying to distance itself from the complex Syria conflict throughout the years of war, yet it couldn't escape war effects on the human and economic levels, leaving people in chaos.

The Syrian regime has sought to keep the province, located south-east of Syria, under its actual control as is the case in the rest of Syria's controlled provinces, according to the Russian delegation, which visited Suwaida in late June 2018.

Observers said that the current options in the province to resolve its issues “do not come without a real guarantee as there must be other options on the negotiating tables.”

The people there seek to find a general settlement in all files related to Suwaida in terms of security and stability of the province and peaceful coexistence of its people. They want to make sure they protect themselves, and if Russia gives up on protecting them, they should have the right to demand international protection in case of repeated acts of terrorism.

This requires Russia’s success in solving many issues based on partial geopolitical solutions, one of which may be a form of administrative decentralization, in accordance with the rule of Aleksandr Dugin, the greatest theorist on Russia's geopolitical operations in the region.

Dugin once wrote in Katehon think tank an article entitled, “Geopolitical Problems and the Laws of Great Extent, Globalization and Russian Paradox.”

He said that the rule is that “small nations are swallowed politically and economically in the absence of a major international competitor, and it is not necessarily geopolitical warfare... it still takes place in the rest of other Syrian cities.”

Russia has been trying to convince the dignitaries of the Druze province to activate the role of the Syrian regime in the province, return to the situation before the outbreak of the war and stop distancing itself, keeping its children from joining the ranks of the army, and forming local factions from its citizens to defend the province.

The Russian delegation described these factions as “terrorist formations” since they are not registered among the ranks of the Syrian regime forces, are not directed by it, do not quite agree with the regime’s state of formations to fight along with on all fronts in the Syrian territory, and aim at defending the province from any threat facing it- even from the regime itself.



Algeria Agrees with Italy to Tackle Terrorism, Migration at Summit

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
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Algeria Agrees with Italy to Tackle Terrorism, Migration at Summit

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shakes hands with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Italy and Algeria agreed to work together to fight terrorism and control migration during an intergovernmental meeting in Rome on Wednesday, documents showed, while companies signed off on deals on sectors including energy and telecommunications.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphili, after a trip to Algiers by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in March.

Algeria is Rome's leading trading partner in Africa, with trade worth almost 14 billion euros ($16.4 billion) while Rome's investments there amount to 8.5 billion, Italy said.

According to a document seen by Reuters, a memorandum will be signed between Italy and Algeria on fighting terrorism and its financing. The document did not say which threats the countries were focused on.

The two nations will also agree on a plan to coordinate the search and rescue operations for migrants who attempt the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe. Meloni's right-wing government was elected in 2022 on a mandate to curb migrant arrivals.

On the business side, Italian energy group Eni this month signed a production sharing contract with oil and gas company Sonatrach worth $1.3 billion to explore and develop hydrocarbons in Algeria.

A document said the two companies will sign an additional agreement on the sidelines of the summit to strengthen their cooperation.

Eni buys gas from Sonatrach under a long-term contract that has made the north African country one of the key fuel suppliers for Italy after Rome severed ties with Russia's Gazprom following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

A separate deal will involve Submarine cable company Sparkle, a unit of Telecom Italia (TIM), which is set to be sold to a consortium led by Italy's Treasury later this year.

Sparkle will sign a preliminary agreement with Algerie Telecom for a new subsea cable connecting the two countries.

"Algeria is a strategic partner, and we are working hard to make this partnership ever broader, stronger and more diversified," Foreign Minister Tajani said during a speech at a business forum with over 400 companies from the two nations.