Books & arts
16 September 2025
A challenging account of war and migration brings a family’s story to the sweep of recent history
International
14 May 2025
The benefits of thawing relations between Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government and the West could be undone by Israeli interference
Other Voices
21 December 2024
The line from the 1979 Iranian revolution to the 2024 Syrian revolution is clear. Will the same line lead to another revolution in Iran?
International
14 December 2024
A former Damascus-based diplomat watched from afar Syria’s long fight to shake off a brutal dynasty
International
11 December 2024
Is Vladimir Putin’s global strategy about to collapse under its own weight?
Books & arts
12 July 2023
A summing up by an Australian diplomat who loved the Arab world
International
28 September 2018
Funds for a campaign to publicise the destruction of historical sites might be better spent where the damage was done
International
20 July 2018
Syria’s seven-year conflict is favouring those who play the long game
International
17 April 2018
Chemical weapons have been a feature of the Syrian conflict since 2011. Are we any closer to a strategy to deal with their use — and with the forces fuelling the wider conflict?
International
25 September 2017
Foreign interference, however well-intentioned, could still prolong the conflict
International
24 June 2017
Islamic State’s destruction of the heritage of a great Islamic leader, Nur al-Din, signals a new desperation
International
10 April 2017
Signs that Bashar al-Assad is panicking could create an opportunity to re-engage the Syrian peace talks
International
10 April 2017
Without a clear strategy, the American strike on a Syrian airfield lacked both legality and effectiveness
International
17 September 2015
The crisis in Syria could easily worsen, writes Matthew Gray, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Islamic State is in the ascendant
Books & arts
20 March 2015
Books | The Islamic State seemed to appear out of nowhere, writes Matthew Gray, but its origins lie in decades of conflict and bad decisions
International
6 October 2014
When a militarily powerful country tries to govern the affairs of millions of people on the other side of the planet, we shouldn’t be surprised that chaos results, writes…
Books & arts
23 December 2013
Does the equation that infuses the work of truth commissions – that more memory equals more reconciliation – always meet the needs of people affected by widespread…
National affairs
23 October 2013
The Security Council remains a key forum for resolving international conflicts, and Australia is right to be there, write John Langmore and Ramesh Thakur
3 September 2013
Syria’s war is opening new dividing lines in British politics, says David Hayes. Once the consequences play out, Ed Miliband might have lost more than has David Cameron
International
5 May 2011
With al Qaeda’s influence already waning in many countries in the Middle East, Matthew Gray looks at the likely impact of Osama bin Laden’s death on the…