Orientul Mijlociu

The Assad regime collapsed late last year, but a recent spate of sectarian violence has left many Syrians worried for the future.

Samir Ismail sat on his knees, his forehead on the ground and hands clasped behind his back. His young nieces and nephews watched — their eyes wide in horror — as he demonstrated how militants lined the nine men up, then shot and killed them.

Un rapport historique de l’ONU qui accuse Israël de génocide à Gaza, citant la violence sexuelle systématique et la destruction ciblée des infrastructures de santé reproductive comme des outils délibérés d’extermination.

Le 22 mars, Al-Mayadeen English a détaillé les conclusions d’une commission d’enquête internationale indépendante de l’ONU sur «le recours systématique par Israël de la violence sexuelle, reproductive et d’autres formes de violence sexiste depuis le 7 octobre 2023».

As Lebanon and Syria grapple with profound political transformations and the long shadows of conflict, the notion of federalism—a once-taboo idea—is steadily reentering public discourse. But in a region where divisions often take the form of sectarian identity, the question remains: could federalism, or a deepening of cantonal structures, offer a sustainable solution for fragile, post-conflict states like Syria and Lebanon? Or might it simply institutionalize fragmentation and pave the way for a future of inter-cantonal strife?

The French, deeply attached to republicanism, have divided their modern history into five distinct republics, each marked by a significant historical turning point. In our view, this tradition reflects their desire to compensate for their brief and unsuccessful attempt to restore the monarchy between 1870 and 1883—an era commonly associated with the so-called French Third Republic.

Can Shara’s Government Unite a Country Ready to Explode?

In late March, Ahmad al-Shara, Syria’s new leader, introduced a caretaker government that would supervise the country’s transition from five decades of dictatorial rule. He gave some cabinet positions to figures outside his Islamist milieu, including naming a Christian woman minister of social affairs, a Kurdish official minister of education, a Druze minister for agriculture, and an Alawite minister for transport. Those appointments reflect the pressure Shara is under to demonstrate to Arab and Western governments—and to the Syrian people—that he can build an inclusive government that represents the country’s religious and ethnic minorities. It is a challenge made all the harder by an eruption of bloodshed in March in which fighters affiliated with Shara’s government (but not under its direction) targeted minority Alawites in the west of the country, killing hundreds.

The overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may have marked a major blow to the Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance coalition, but a new group styling itself in a similar manner has emerged to challenge the interests of the United States and its feuding top Middle Eastern allies.

With post-Assad Syria now at the center of a regional struggle for influence between neighboring Israel and Turkey, the militia known as Uli al-Baas, or “the Possessors of Might,” argues it is “positioned with the Axis of Resistance against the Axis of Global Evil,” of which Washington is said to be a part due to President Donald Trump’s support for both foreign powers.

Turkey’s History of Hamas Support
By Jonathan Schanzer

Thousands of people rallied at Istanbul’s iconic Galata Bridge on New Year’s Day 2025 in support of the Palestinian cause and to protest Israel. Bilal Erdogan, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son, was among its speakers. Bilal spoke of the “martyrs” of Palestine, including Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the October 7, 2023, slaughter of 1,200 Israelis. This is, by now, barely newsworthy given Ankara’s long track record of pro-Hamas rhetoric. But the son of Turkey’s strongman leader caught the attention of international observers when he stated, “we are here for … Al-Aqsa Mosque, for Jerusalem.”1

Many people in Iran to whom Reuters spoke by phone remained pessimistic about the future.

Weary from long years of biting sanctions and worried about U.S. threats of military action, Iranians have responded to the prospect of talks this weekend with expressions of hope that have boosted their stock market and depressed currency, Reuters reported.

Ce que l’on comprend maintenant, c’est que «nous ne jouons plus aux échecs». Il n’y a plus de règles.

L’ultimatum de Trump à l’Iran ? Le colonel Doug Macgregor compare l’ultimatum de Trump à l’Iran à celui que l’Autriche-Hongrie a adressé à la Serbie en 1914 : une offre, en somme, «qui ne pouvait être refusée». La Serbie a accepté neuf des dix demandes. Mais elle en a refusé une, et l’Autriche-Hongrie a immédiatement déclaré la guerre.