The Monocle Minute

Many Syrians are rejoicing at the end of the Assad regime – and they’re not the only ones. Some in Europe are celebrating the prospect of the nation’s refugees finally returning home. And Austria is proving more aggressive than most. Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s caretaker government has already announced a plan to reassess the status of some 40,000 Syrians in the country, with a view to repatriating them as soon as possible.

Austria has accepted more asylum seekers as a percentage of its population than any other European country over the past decade and has struggled to cope. Sending some of them back will relieve pressure on its institutions. But there are problems with its hasty approach. One is timing. With an ostensibly reformed terrorist group in charge, we don’t yet know what kind of government will emerge in Syria or whether it will be safe for refugees to return.

Even if the outcome is positive (and initial signs are pointing that way), there’s a second problem with Austria’s eagerness. It endangers goodwill between Europeans and Syrians. Many of the latter who were forced into exile want to return home and help to rebuild their country. They don’t need to be coerced. It’s one thing to help a guest pack their bags and quite another to hurriedly usher them out the door.

When the asylum process works exactly as it should, people flee to another country out of desperation and are welcomed in their new home until the time comes for them to return of their own accord. European governments should help Syrians to rebuild their lives, not because we’re so keen to get rid of the country’s citizens but because we’re supporting – and hoping – for a rare positive development in a troubled world.

Christopher Cermak is Monocle’s senior news editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

French fashion house Alaïa has partnered with some of Paris’s most prominent design galleries to showcase its signature Le Teckel bag. The piece, which is known for its elongated, dachshund-inspired shape, is being presented alongside collectable furniture and one-of-a-kind design objects. Alaïa collaborated with German photographer Katja Rahlwes for the campaign.

In Rahlwes’s images, Le Teckel is seen sitting on a Pierre Chareau sofa from Galerie Vallois, a modernist Michel Dufet table from Galerie Maxime Flatry and a 1956 Charlotte Perriand table sourced from Galerie Jacques Lacoste. The project highlights the dialogue between the world of design and the fashion collections of Alaïa’s creative director, Pieter Mulier, which are filled with intricate, sculptural silhouettes. It’s also a statement of intent by a brand that is stepping beyond the fashion industry’s ephemeral trend cycles and presenting its popular handbag as a timeless design object to be treasured.

It was announced yesterday that Saudi Arabia will host the Fifa World Cup in 2034 – but the country is not waiting for the showpiece soccer tournament to begin to attract tourists. As part of a new partnership between the UK and Saudi Arabia, heritage body Historic England will share its cultural expertise to help preserve the Middle Eastern kingdom’s landmarks. It is hoped that the deal will allow conservation experts to exchange best practices, while a second agreement has also been made to help drive tourism to the Gulf. As part of that scheme, the UK has pledged to market the ancient city of al-Ula and its nearby attractions, including the 52-metre-high “Elephant Rock”. The aim is to boost its visitor numbers to two million per year by 2035.

These partnerships come on the back of recent trips to the Gulf by the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, and are the latest step in Saudi Arabia’s project to expand its tourism sector. This week the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund also announced the launch of Adeera, a hospitality-management firm that will introduce a new portfolio of homegrown hospitality brands. Saudi Arabia is already the fastest-growing tourism destination in the G20. The signs are that it doesn’t have any plans to slow down.

When Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, entered office a year ago, many predicted that the inexperienced former TV personality would struggle to bring about meaningful change. His draconian reforms, however, seem to be reaping their first rewards. Having inherited an economy on the brink of hyperinflation, his government has engineered a fall in the monthly inflation rate from 26 per cent last December to 2.7 per cent in October.

But the overhaul has come at a cost. Some 30,000 public-sector workers have been fired and public spending has been slashed by about a third, leaving millions in poverty. “People are glad that inflation has come down,” Amy Booth, the managing editor of the Buenos Aires Herald, told The Briefing on Monocle Radio. “But it has been displaced as their top concern by poor job quality and poverty, which have risen as a corollary.”

Struggling with gift ideas in the final weeks before Christmas? Fear not, Monocle’s winter wish list is here. Our suggestion is a pair of Matterhorn ski goggles from Fusalp. The strikingly sleek design ensures that your nearest and dearest will be looking sharp on the slopes.

For more seasonal gift inspiration, pick up a copy of the Alpino newspaper, available online and on newsstands now.

The ritual of hammam has played an important role in the region for millennia. Visiting Turkish baths for the first time can be intimidating, so let Monocle be your guide. Join us as we glide from the hot room to the cold room via a foam massage, and plunge into this living part of Turkish history.