Abyad wa Aswad was established in early 2001. Publication license was granted in 2002, making the magazine the first independent political weekly in Syria. The first issue appeared on 22 July 2002. The magazine, headquartered in Damascus, is a privately owned publication. Bilal Turkmani, former defense minister
Hasan Turkmani's son, is the owner of
Abyad wa Aswad. For instance, the magazine criticized the
Syrian foreign ministry in 2003 for not attending the special session of the
UN Security Council during which UN Security Council resolution 1483 that was about ending the
sanctions against Iraq had been voted. It further argued that both the foreign ministry and other governmental bodies had no dynamism and flexibility. ==References==