Amatzia Baram

Amatzia Baram is professor emeritus at the Department of the History of the Middle East and Director of the Centre for Iraq Studies at the University of Haifa, Israel. He provides unique insight into the political background of Abu Muhammad al-Julani who has overthrown the brutal regime of Bashar Assad in Syria. Professor Baram does not address the terrorist activities of al-Julani but instead focuses on the sea-change in Syria and its regional impact. Baram is regarded as one of the most objective and trustworthy Middle East scholars.

October 20, 2026

Defence/Geopolitics

China’s Suspected Underwater Drone Motherships Signal Expanding Naval Ambitions

China appears to be developing a second unusually configured vessel that could serve as a mothership for large underwater drones, adding to evidence of a potential effort to extend the country’s uncrewed

Culture/Human Rights

Falling Crucifix Kills Ecuadorian Priest During Livestreamed Mass

Ecuadorian Catholic priest Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari was killed when a heavy crucifix and a statue of Jesus Christ fell from the wall behind the altar during a livestreamed Mass at the Church of Perpetual Relief in Guayaquil. The incident

October 19, 2026

‘I Apologise to the Maha Sangha’: Sirisena Admits Error in Gnanasara Pardon

Judiciary/Sri Lanka

Former Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena has acknowledged a procedural error in the granting of a presidential pardon to Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, saying

Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Legacy Is Bigger Than Its Borders

Culture/Editor's Choice

Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for stronger cooperation among Theravada Buddhist nations, declaring Anuradhapura a sacred centre for Buddhists across Asia. Highlighting centuries

Assad’s Army: What Went Wrong

December 17, 2024

Sri Lanka Guardian Essays

On November 27, when the rebels emerged from their Idlib enclave in north-western Syria, President Bashar Assad was on a visit to Moscow. The sudden disintegration of his army was even more

Who is Abu Muhammad al-Julani — New Leader in Syria

December 12, 2024

Sri Lanka Guardian Essays

Ahmad Hussein Ash-Shara, widely known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, was born in Damascus in 1982 to a lower-middle-class Sunni Arab family. His father owned a grocery store, and al-Julani assisted him while