Rasha Elass

1 month ago | newlinesmag.com | Rasha Elass

Syria is open for business, its people eager to invest, rebuild and consume. But the U.S. economic sanctions originally placed on the now-ousted Assad regime remain in place, preventing any significant postwar rebuilding from moving forward. Syria also continues to endure airstrikes by Israel, which have eviscerated the country’s defense infrastructure and continue to put people’s lives and livelihoods at risk.

Mar 12, 2025 | newlinesmag.com | Rasha Elass

One of the first public comments that U.S. President Donald Trump made after he took office on Jan. 20 was during the World Economic Forum, when he publicly rebuked the CEOs of top banks in the United States, accusing them of denying service to conservative customers. “And by the way, speaking of you … you’ve done a fantastic job,” Trump said over a video link, addressing Brian T. Moynihan, chair, president and CEO of Bank of America.

Jan 10, 2025 | newlinesmag.com | Rasha Elass

With the country at a crossroads and a new constitution in the offing, a look back reveals how its people have worked to birth a modern Syrian state since Ottoman times The constitution of a country articulates what a modern nation-state conceives itself to be at a particular moment in its history.

Jul 18, 2024 | newlinesmag.com | Rasha Elass

How a recent trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina unraveled parallels with the countries the author once called home It was springtime when my companion and I met up in Sarajevo, or Saraybosna, Turkish for Palace or Court of Bosnia.

Jul 18, 2024 | newlinesmag.com | Rasha Elass

It was springtime when my companion and I met up in Sarajevo, or Saraybosna, Turkish for Palace or Court of Bosnia. The city was once the westernmost frontier of the Ottoman Empire, which conquered it in the 14th century, leaving behind many familiar markings — the call to prayer from mosques, gushing fountains in courtyards and a myriad of Sufi traditions on display — making it a unique window into Islamic history in Europe.