This is the first in a multi-part series exploring Captagon and the future of the amphetamine trade inside the Middle East. In this article, we contextualize the importance of Captagon and explore its associated trade to both the former Assad regime and various non-state actors within the Middle East.

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), power dynamics have shifted significantly since the Abraham Accords were signed in late 2020 between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Prior to the Accords, the Arab world at large maintained leverage over Israel in its near universal rejection of the Jewish State and support for the Palestinian cause. The Arab world’s unanimity led the charge to boycott all Israeli goods, delegitimize its right to exist in the court of public opinion, and counter Israel militarily whether by proxy or in direct conflict.