Regional Policies

The visit of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to Moscow and his meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on October 15, 2025, generated widespread discussion and debate about its underlying motives and political implications. The timing was particularly significant, coming at a critical geopolitical juncture for both Syria and the wider region. The visit coincided with an accelerating Arab and…

On 18 October 2025, the U.S. Department of State issued a warning statement [1] affirming that it had received “documented reports” indicating Hamas’s intention to carry out an “imminent attack” against Palestinian civilians inside the Gaza Strip, characterizing this as a “direct and grave” violation of the ceasefire that entered into force on 10 October. The statement noted that the…

The visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani to Beirut in October 2025 marked a pivotal political moment in the trajectory of relations between the two countries. It was not a conventional diplomatic visit; rather, it represented the first practical test of the evolving relationship between the “new Syria” and Lebanon after two decades of transformation and discontinuity. The visit…

The Policy and Society Institute conducted an unprecedented field survey that revealed striking perceptions among Jordanian university students regarding the accelerating geopolitical transformations in the Middle East following the recent war between Iran and Israel. The study included 896 students from eight public and private universities and aimed to measure the level of political awareness and national and regional orientations…

Recently, significant shifts occurred in international positions on the Palestinian question. Influential states such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal recognized the State of Palestine in a political move that exerted additional pressure on Israel. On September 22, 2025, six new countries (France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco)1 joined in recognizing Palestine. This brought the total number…

The assassination of conservative American activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk1—killed instantly by a bullet while delivering a speech at the University of Utah—was a pivotal moment that dominated the political and media scenes. The incident triggered a storm of reactions on social media both inside and outside the United States, fueling speculations and analyses about its background, possible implications,…

In recent months, Israel’s political arena has witnessed an unprecedented surge in far-right rhetoric advocating the extension of sovereignty over significant parts of the West Bank, particularly the Jordan Valley. This escalation, reflected in increasingly radical statements from Israeli ministers, has reignited regional and international debates over the scope of Israeli control, the future of the Palestinian national project, and…

Israel is accelerating its reshaping of Jerusalem’s reality through an integrated urban-security approach, targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque as the center of transformation. In recent times, Jerusalem has witnessed a marked escalation in Israeli policies aimed at reshaping its geographical and religious landscape. Public provocations are being carried out within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in cooperation with the Israeli police. These provocations…

This material was published in the third issue of the Jordanian Politics and Society magazine (JPS). NoteThe views and opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of neither PSI nor the Editors. The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in early December 2024 ushered in a new regional…

This material was published in the third issue of the Jordanian Politics and Society magazine (JPS). NoteThe views and opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of neither PSI nor the Editors. Northeastern Syria, which encompasses three governorates —al-Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor—constitutes a complex geopolitical flashpoint where the…