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.

November 9, 2026

Diplomacy/Editorials

Maldives Abuse Scandal and a Former UN President

Editorial The arrest of Abdulla Shahid, former Foreign Minister of the Maldives and President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, over allegations of sexually abusing a minor is

Columns/Geopolitics

The Midterms Just Made the World More Dangerous

After being massively repudiated in Tuesday’s midterm election, Donald Trump has become a lame-duck president with significantly curtailed authority. What is likely to happen in the remaining two years until a new chief executive is sworn in on January 20,

November 9, 2026

Sri Lanka Navy Secures Top Ranking at National Productivity Awards

News/Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Navy has secured first place in the Public Sector Inter-Departmental Category at the National Productivity Awards 2025/26, emerging as one of

Blue Moon Over Trump’s La La Land

Columns/Geopolitics

That was exquisite, but not surprising. The result was a manifestation of frustration and anger towards Trump, and it cannot be mistaken for a

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