How Turkey plans to expand its influence in the new Syria
Its influence could cause tensions with the Arab world—and Israel
ASAAD AL-SHAIBANI’s professors were puzzled when the postgraduate student, a Syrian refugee, told them in November that he would have to miss a few classes. A few weeks later, Mr al-Shaibani resurfaced in Damascus in the cabinet of Syria’s new interim government. On January 15th he made an official visit to Turkey, where he had lived for over a decade, as Syria’s new foreign minister.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The road to Damascus”
Middle East & Africa January 25th 2025
From the January 25th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East & Africa
Three big lawsuits against Meta in Kenya may have global implications
One was prompted by the murder of an Ethiopian professor
Trump should try to end, not manage, the Middle East’s oldest conflicts
And he should see the region as more than a source of instability and arms deals
Government by social media in Somalia
Cheap data, social media and creativity are filling in for an absent state
The Gaza ceasefire is stoking violence in the West Bank
Hamas and the Israeli far right both want to destabilise the West Bank
The start of a fragile truce in Gaza offers relief and joy
But the ceasefire is not yet the end of the war
West African booze is becoming a luxury product
Female entrepreneurs are leading the charge