OPINION

By Evgil Türker | President of the Federation of Syriac Associations in Turkey (Süryani Dernekler Federasyonu, SÜDEF)  The 2013–2015 Peace Process in Turkey failed. Everyone knows what a grim situation the failure of the process has led to: arrests, clashes, deaths … For the last 10 years, not only the Kurds,…

By Dr. Amine Jules Iskandar | Architect, Teacher, President of the Syriac Maronite Union – Tur Levnon and Head of External Relations of the Syriac Union Party in Lebanon In the Levant, Islam took root in the major Mediterranean coastal cities — Jaffa, Haifa, Acre, Sidon, Beirut, Tripoli, Tartus, and Latakia. Surrounded by Christian and…

By Hicham Bou Nassif | Weinberg Associate Professor of International Relations and the Middle East and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College-California The root of the tragedy unfolding in Suwayda lies in the convergence of several positions — those of Ahmad al-Sharaa, the United States, and various Arab states —…

By Hicham Bou Nassif | Weinberg Associate Professor of International Relations and the Middle East and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College-California This week, Lebanon witnessed yet another flood of venom in the political discourse of the Shiite camp. The declared stance remains a firm grip on weapons indefinitely, coupled with…

By Joseph Sopholaus | Free thinker, poet, and an essayist Whenever the issue of transnational identities is raised in political discussions, the “Lebanonists” leap forward to speak about the policy of Lebanonization—that is, aligning Arab Shiite collective consciousness with the borders of Greater Lebanon, which this consciousness had historically rejected, most…

This article was originally published by This Is Beirut on 16 February 2025. The original can be found here. By Dr. Amine Jules Iskandar | Architect, Teacher, President of the Syriac Maronite Union – Tur Levnon and Head of External Relations of the Syriac Union Party in Lebanon “If the Shiite duo, Amal-Hezbollah, persists in refusing to abide…

By Denho Bar Mourad–Özmen | Former Special Educator and Advisor at Sweden’s National Agency for Special Education The Assyrian/Syriac people, despite their historical significance and cultural richness, face a unique challenge in the modern era: persistent internal fragmentation that undermines political influence, institutional development, and cultural continuity. This paper explores the historical, ecclesiastical, political,…

By Hicham Bou Nassif | Weinberg Associate Professor of International Relations and the Middle East and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College-California The Israeli strikes on Iran have stopped, but the crisis of its regime has entered a new phase. The news circulating in the international press over the past few…

By Bassam Ishak | President of Syriac National Council of Syria (SSNC) and member of the Presidential Council of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Mission in Washington, D.C. The bombing of Mar Elias Church in Damascus was neither a random act nor merely a horrific crime against innocent worshippers. It was a message—deliberate…

By Joseph Sliwa | President of the Beth Nahrain Patriotic Union and former Member of Parliament in Iraq First and foremost, peace to the souls of those who perished in the bombing of Mar Ellias Greek (Rûm) Orthodox Church in Damascus, and heartfelt wishes for a full recovery to the…