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A Champions League Final the Gulf Can’t Lose
Qatar owns soccer club Paris Saint-Germain. Emirates Airlines' name is plastered on Arsenal’s shirt and stadium. Whoever wins the Champions League final, the Gulf can’t lose.
Poems of a Vanished World
A century ago, a vital debate was ignited over the authenticity of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. Among the many reasons to accept the antiquity of much of this body of verse is the distinct mindset it reveals, in which humans stand fully within the natural world.
As Somalia Unravels, Its Elites Are Absorbed in Their Own Rivalries
Mogadishu's cafes are full, its skyline is changing and tourists are arriving — but it is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. Somalia's fragile revival is now hostage to an elite absorbed in its own rivalries.
Inside Hezbollah’s Two-Decade Project To Shape the Houthis
In 2007, two operatives, one Iranian, one from Hezbollah, sat down to dinner at a restaurant outside Damascus and started discussing Yemen. What followed was nearly two decades of military assistance, mediation, media training and political network-weaving that turned a marginal movement into the most powerful actor in Yemen.
The Surprising Reach of Pope Leo’s New Doctrine on AI
In his first encyclical, Pope Leo XIV framed AI as a moral test of the age. The document drew unusually broad reactions and underscored his emerging role as a surprising moral voice at a time of growing institutional mistrust and AI anxiety.
A Pro-Netanyahu Video Weaponizes Grievance
On the eve of a major Jewish holiday, when leaders traditionally speak about unity, Netanyahu posted a 90-second satirical video that mocks liberals and weaponizes grievances.
Can Syria’s Trains Get Back on Track?
As plans for overland corridors linking the Gulf to the Mediterranean regain momentum, Syria is being cast as a hub for regional trade. Yet on the ground, a shattered railway network and aging infrastructure reveal the vast gap between these ambitions and reality.