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Jewish Diplomatic Corps visits UAE
"Our preconceptions are at odds with reality"
Hamburg lawyer Eugen Balin is a member of the World Jewish Congress' Jewish Diplomatic Corps. At the end of 2021, a delegation of the Corps visited the United Arab Emirates, which established full diplomatic relations with Israel in the summer of 2020. Interview by Christoph Strack
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Russia, Ukraine, world energy
Why the Saudis won't pump more oil
Just as Saudi Arabia refused to accommodate American requests to increase oil production last November, it is likely to refuse U.S. President Joe Biden’s request today. When the Saudis increase their production, it will be because to do so is in their own interest, writes Bernhard Haykel
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Egypt, France, a growing alliance
The Cairo-Paris axis
A growing alliance between Cairo and Paris is resulting in significant foreign policy coordination, with political and economic repercussions on the horizon for both Egypt and France. By Maged Mandour
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Michel Houellebecq's "Aneantir"
Lonely white males
With his latest tome, French literary provocateur Michel Houellebecq completes his writer's quest: to portray a dying white patriarchy. The big surprise comes in the acknowledgements. Christine Lehnen read the book
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Iran nuclear talks enter ‘final stage’
Iran's Vienna gambit
The risk that the United Nations will re-impose the economic sanctions on Iran that were ended by the 2015 nuclear deal hangs over the presidency of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi like a sword of Damocles. This threat may be Raisi's strongest incentive to reach a compromise in the ongoing nuclear talks. By Djavad Salehi-Isfahani
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The Gulf
Bahrain – where human rights don’t count
The catastrophic human rights situation in Bahrain is being largely ignored by the rest of the world. Despite all the damning evidence, which includes a Human Rights Watch report, the West is unlikely to apply any pressure on the regime due to geostrategic interests. By Diana Hodali
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France and terrorism
No time to heal
The many terrorist attacks France has faced over the last ten years have poisoned the political discourse, especially when it comes to migration. Since 2012 a relentless stream of attacks has given public confidence little chance to recover. So how is this affecting the presidential campaign? Nadia Pantel reports
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Etel Adnan, Lebanese American poet and artist
A woman full of questions and innocence
Etel Adnan, the artist who transcended the borders of culture and language, may have died in Paris, writes Lebanese author Elias Khoury, yet her death holds a mirror up to the stifling rhythm of what Beirut has become. Indeed, every death now seems a metaphor for the death of Beirut
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Sixty years after the Paris Massacre
When will France apologise to the Algerians?
Shot, beaten to death or drowned: a demonstration by tens of thousands of Algerians ended in the "Paris Massacre" on 17 October 1961. Sixty years on, historians and victims' associations are calling for a sign from President Macron. By Andreas Noll
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Middle East in the Second World War
Nazis had their sights set on Palestine
Newly discovered aerial photographs taken by the German Luftwaffe show what a keen interest the Germans took in British-controlled Palestine during the Second World War. Not only that, they provide a unique pictorial record of the region during this period. Joseph Croitoru reports
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Hisham A. Hellyer on "the War on Terror"
"You cannot rely on the West"
Western states have fought against terrorism not only in Afghanistan, but also in Syria and Iraq – leaving behind people who were once their partners in fear and poverty. Hisham A. Hellyer talks in interview about the "war on terror" and the role played by the West 20 years on. Interview by Andrea Backhaus
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Karl-Josef Kuschel's "Goethe and the Koran"
Islam for the 21st century? Look no further than Goethe
No other Western poet was arguably so well-versed in the Koran or so fascinated by Islam as Germany's national hero, Goethe. In a new publication that examines all Goethe's writings relating to Islam, theologian Karl-Josef Kuschel shows that the poet's message is still highly relevant today. Stefan Weidner read the book