The Saudis welcome a government in Syria that is no longer an Iranian ally and a transit route that allows Tehran to rearm Hezbollah, its proxy in Lebanon. The Saudis would also like to see an end to the smuggling into the kingdom of dangerous narcotics from Syria. For Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, these are developments that can help stabilize the region after more than a year of expanding war and decades of a delicate balance between Iran and the Gulf Arab states.
The new leaders in Damascus hope the Saudis and other deep-pocketed Gulf Arab states will see the new Syria as a “big investment opportunity,” in the words of the country’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, until recently known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Golani. Rebuilding civil war-torn Syria and welcoming back large numbers of Syrian refugees from abroad will be an enormously expensive project, and the Gulf Arabs are by far the likeliest potential donors to see self-interest in major investments.
Can sovereignty and cooperation go together? Franck Paris, the new director general of the Paris Peace Forum, says sovereignty without cooperation is "just an illusion."
The tiny South American nation is in turmoil after a spectacular bank collapse left about half of its 6 million people without access to their money.
The California governor announced the move on Thursday in an open letter in which he called state-sanctioned killing “incompatible” with the state’s values and morally wrong.
In this GZERO Europe, Carl Bildt looks at the challenges facing Serbia’s Student List following its dramatic election victory over longtime nationalist leader Aleksandar Vučić, who had ruled the country for 14 years.