Once the self-styled “Switzerland of the Middle East,” Qatar is discovering that hosting adversaries no longer ensures safety. Faisal Saeed Al Mutar shows how Israeli and Iranian strikes in Doha demolished the illusion of neutrality.

One year after Hezbollah’s leader was killed, Lebanon still bears the scars of his choices. His charisma drew millions, but his legacy is a nation left in ruins. This piece drew international praise, including from Steven Pinker.

With its youth vulnerable and militias entrenched, Iraq has become fertile ground for Russian recruitment into the war in Ukraine. Referenced by leading Iraqi media Al Sumaria, this report exposes a dangerous new trend.

Shabnam Nasimi documents how the Taliban are erasing Afghanistan’s cultural heritage by demolishing statues, looting archaeological sites, and neglecting treasures of the past. International law classifies these acts not as vandalism, but as crimes against humanity’s shared history.

Her freedom came after more than two years in captivity, but Ali Saray shows how the release has only intensified fears of a showdown between militias, Israel, and the U.S. inside Iraq.

Saadoon Mohsen Damad unpacks how a new law reshapes family rights in Iraq, curtailing women’s legal protections, entrenching clerical authority, and consolidating tribal wealth. Beyond child marriage and custody, it signals a rollback of hard-won rights.

Ammar Abdulhamid argues that Syria’s future depends not on blame but on coexistence. His piece offers a sober rethinking of how diverse communities can move beyond grievance — a prerequisite for any stable Syrian state.

As massacres unfolded in southern Syria, Druze families in Britain shared their grief and pleaded for the world’s attention. Iram Ramzan reports from London on the anguish of a community watching atrocities against their relatives from afar, and the broader implications for Syria’s fragile future.

Medeni Sungur reports on the imprisonment of Istanbul’s mayor once seen as Erdoğan’s chief rival. His detention revealed how far Turkey’s system has shifted from democracy to outright repression.