Everyone knows there are many extremely poor countries in the world, but people rarely talk about why. These nations are sometimes collectively called the Third World (being neither the Western First World or the Soviet-aligned Second World); the more recent euphemism is usually the “developing world.” Whatever the name, these …

After years of struggle on various fronts to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the leaders of opposition factions have arrived at the People’s Palace in Damascus in a pivotal event described as “historic.” The meeting saw participants move past old disputes and agree to dissolve all factions and merge them under …

Syria’s transitional government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have begun implementing a landmark agreement aimed at reintegrating the autonomous administration’s civil and military institutions into the framework of the Syrian state. The deal, signed on March 10 by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and SDF Commander General Mazloum Abdi, marks …