Spotlight
Crisis Mode
Colombian president Gustavo Petro has been in the global spotlight for his war of words with Donald Trump over the deportation of migrants, but that incident has overshadowed a storm brewing at home — one that led Petro to declare a state of emergency that temporarily grants him extraordinary powers.
Laughing to the Limit
A group of Syrian comedians is making use of the country’s new freedoms to entertain audiences, while holding a mirror up to society at a moment of rapid change.
Life Returns to a Syrian Border Town After Iranian Militias Flee
Now emptied of Iranian militias and split between U.S.-backed forces and Syria’s interim government, the Syrian province closest to the Iraqi border wrestles with what comes next.
The Continuing Tragedy of Ghouta’s Chemical Attacks
More than a decade after the Ghouta chemical attacks by the Assad regime, the thirst for justice has not yet been sated.
Can Lebanon’s New Leaders Break the Cycle?
Lebanon is at a political crossroads following the election of Joseph Aoun as president and Nawaf Salam as prime minister, heralded as reformist leaders in a corrupt sectarian system.
Reflections on the Ceasefire in Gaza
As a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Gaza takes hold, a Palestinian journalist and father reflects from exile in Cairo on survival amid unimaginable loss and the uncertainty around returning home.
How Assad’s Trade in Captagon Fueled His Downfall
The Assad regime’s manipulation of the Captagon trade, combining industrial-scale production with carefully crafted counternarcotics rhetoric, staged seizures and inflated statistics, gave the illusion of a crackdown. But the regime’s reliance on Captagon to reinforce its hold on power prompted a backlash from neighboring states and hastened its collapse.