Author: Steven Sahiounie

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On January 13, the President of the International Court of Justice, Nawaf Salam, was designated Prime Minister of Lebanon by the newly elected President Joseph Aoun, after receiving the greatest support from among Lebanon’s 128 members of Parliament. Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, did not vote along with their fellow members of Parliament, and had preferred the other candidate, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. On January 9, Joseph Aoun was elected by the Lebanese parliament to be President of Lebanon, an office that had laid vacant for two years. Aoun enjoys the…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his cabinet, “A new era has begun in Syria… Turkey has shown what kind of will it has to protect its survival and security. If it comes to that again, ‘we may come suddenly one night’. The circle is narrowing for the separatist organization and its extensions in Syria. As the government and the alliance, we will achieve our goal of a terror-free Turkey, one way or another. Of course, we hope this will happen safely. If this road is blocked and dynamited, then we will not hesitate to…

Steven Sahiounie, Journalist and political commentator We are just days away from the inauguration of President Donald Trump. He has made many promises to reverse the course of American foreign policy from the past four years under the President Joe Biden administration. The war in Ukraine is seen by many analysts as the “Biden War”, similar to the “Obama War” in Libya and Syria, the “Bush War” in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the “Clinton War” in Yugoslavia. Trump says he will end the “Biden War” in Ukraine before the last Ukrainian blood is spilt in a rivalry between the US…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator George Michael sang a hit song, “Last Christmas”, about heartbreak, betrayal, and disappointment. Many Syrians may now be feeling those same emotions, because this might be the “Last Christmas” celebrated legally and openly in Syria. Syrians feel they were betrayed by former President Bashar al-Assad, who drained the country of wealth for his benefit, and that of his family. They are disappointed that he did not hand over power in the process of the UN resolution 2254, but held selfishly on to his ‘throne’ which forced the country to plunge into chaos. Syria has…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Hundreds of people have slept outside in freezing weather in the Damascus region, hoping to find a loved one who might still be alive in one of the many prison complexes run by former president Assad, who fled Syria on December 8. Recently, the unguarded prisons began to be broken into as thousands of prisoners found freedom, some after decades of torture and horrific conditions. Every country has prisons, but Syria’s were notorious for being filled with hundreds of thousands of political prisoners. Sednaya prison has been dubbed the “human slaughterhouse”. It is just…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On December 8, the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia leaving the country to be occupied by a coalition of armed fighters led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The HTS and the numerous affiliated armed groups have taken over the administration of the country, and have not carried out any massacres or threatened the public safety. They say they will be caretakers until March when a transition government will be formed in Damascus and later elections to be held. The HTS and their affiliates are now conducting themselves…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator In 1980, the Swedish pop group ABBA released a hit song, “The winner takes it all”. As of December 8, 2024, the armed coalition headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, might be singing that song. In every conflict, there are winners and losers. On a scale from 1 to 10, the various factions involved in the Syrian civil war from 2011 to 2024 are rated below. The US and Israel are rated a 9 out of 10 win in the downfall of the Assad regime. In…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Syria is known for its ancient mosaics. A multitude of tiny colored ceramic pieces artfully arranged to create a beautiful scene; a piece of priceless art. The events leading up to the fall of the 24-year dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad involved a multitude of moving pieces that came together finally in the early hours of December 8 when Assad and his family fled in a private plane to Moscow for asylum. One of the main wheels of the machine which brought Damascus to its knees was Abo Muhammed al-Jolani, the commander of Hayat Tahrir…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect at 4 am, local time, on November 27. Israel carried out intensive airstrikes in Beirut prior to the deadline killing 18 people, and by the time the deal went into effect the smell of explosives was hanging heavy the air. By noon, the road leading south from Beirut were full of people anxious to return to their homes in the south, despite warnings from both Israeli and Lebanese authorities. Cars overflowing with people, and mattresses stacked high on the roofs, were in a traffic jam…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a war with Iran, on the US tax-payers and voters expense, he had better attack quickly. On January 20, President Donald Trump takes office, and he was elected on an anti-war platform. We don’t know what Trump will do after assuming office, and we don’t know if Netanyahu will remain in office. His extremist ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, have shackled Netanyahu to a policy of genocide in Gaza, and they are advocating annexing the Occupied West Bank. Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon are…