Libya
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Electioneering in Libya
Could Muammar Gaddafi's family stage a comeback?
The children of Libya's brutal and erratic former dictator Muammar Gaddafi are becoming more popular as the country's elections, scheduled for 24 December, approach. Some fear they could benefit from an increasingly fragmented political scene. By Cathrin Schaer
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Egypt‘s illegal deportation practice
Eritrean refugees in Egypt: arrested, beaten, threatened
Two refugees detained in Egypt are facing deportation to Eritrea. The expulsion of the Eritreans, who have been incarcerated in Cairo for more than eight years, has been halted for the time being. But the attempted deportation is not an isolated case, and sheds light on Egypt’s draconian approach towards refugees and migrants. By Sofian Philip Naceur
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Arab world
Germany and the Middle East – a tale of morals and markets
Germany's foreign policy is explicitly values-based. But what happens, Ralf Bosen asks, when democracy, the rule of law and human rights collide with the logic of trade and business?
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Women in the Arab world
More violence, less income: Arab women bear the brunt of COVID-19
A new survey by Arab Barometer adds numbers to the narrative that COVID has led to a harsher reality for women in the Middle East and North Africa. By Jennifer Holleis and Razan Salman
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International Libya Conference in Berlin
Libyans harbour high hopes for a transition to stability
The Libya Conference will be held in Berlin on 23 June. Much has been achieved since the last Libya Conference in Berlin in January 2020. The ceasefire is holding, there is a united interim government for the first time and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 24 December. But the path ahead remains strewn with obstacles. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Crisis between Morocco and Germany
Western Sahara, source of strife among would-be partners
Morocco and the European Union are at cross purposes when it comes to the Western Sahara. And, as Germany does not support Moroccan claims to the territory, a major conflict has arisen between the two countries. And the German-Moroccan crisis is getting expensive – for both sides, as Hans-Christian Roessler reports
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How much longer till Turkey's elections?
President under pressure – Erdogan's popularity nosedive
Turkey's parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for June 2023. But they are already casting a shadow. While the opposition is calling for early elections, President Erdogan is insisting on holding the elections in the highly symbolic year of 2023. For right now, his ratings are poor. Ronald Meinardus reports from Istanbul
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Ankara’s Maghreb moment
Advancing Turkey's economic, energy, and military aims
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, disappointed by the European Union’s reluctance to integrate Turkey into its ranks, has re-directed his country’s diplomacy toward the Maghreb and Africa to expand Turkey’s sway in the Mediterranean, writes Dalia Ghanem
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Unity government obscures old and new rifts
SWP Comment: The limits to Libya's unity
Although a unity government was formed in Libya in March 2021, tensions and possible crises between the political actors are already emerging. What problems does the country face? Wolfram Lacher examines the current situation in the North African country.
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New books on the Middle East
The clouds of war or the dawn of a new beginning?
German Middle East analyst Guido Steinberg and television journalist Ulrich Tilgner have both published new books on the conflicts in the Middle East. Their analyses and their forecasts for the region could not be more different. By René Wildangel
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Joe Biden and U.S. policy on Turkey
No more special privileges for Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The foreign policy direction favoured by Washington's new incumbent is putting a strain on relations with Turkey. The two nations look set to clash over a whole host of issues, from human rights concerns to the S 400 Russian missile system, Ronald Meinardus writes in his analysis for Qantara.de
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Turkey seeks its role in the Middle East
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's foreign policy rethink
Turkey is largely isolated in the Middle East. Partners are few and far between. Its closest ally, Qatar, has just made peace with its neighbours. Together with the change of power in the USA, this is forcing Ankara to rethink. Background by Kersten Knipp