Syria

Impressions from Syria

The uncertainty of freedom

Visting Assad regime's torture chamber, with Kalashnikov-wielding rebels and a fearful archbishop. Karim El-Gawhary reports from the "new Syria". A snapshot of history.
Dawn of a new era

Zero hour in Syria

After more than half a century in power, the Assad regime has fallen. The end of one of recent history's most brutal dictatorships has sparked both joy and deep uncertainty about the country's future. Who are Syria's most powerful factions? And are there any "good guys"?
Bilingual children's books

Kurdish as a living language

"When I was a child, I felt ashamed of my identity," says linguist and translator Marwan Sheikho. Determined to create a different reality for his own children, he's made his publishing debut with three bilingual Kurdish children's books.
Syrian-Kurdish politician Elham Ahmed

"Syria should be governed federally like Iraq or the UAE"

Elham Ahmed, the foreign representative of northeast Syria, voices concern for minorities in Aleppo following the city’s recent capture. In an interview with Qantara, she outlines her vision of a decentralised Syria and comments on the German debate over the deportation of criminal refugees.
Turkey and Syria

A renewed partnership?

Damascus and Ankara came to blows following the outbreak of civil war in Syria. Now, the Turkish government and the Assad regime are seeking rapprochement. A diplomatic breakthrough would have consequences beyond regional relations—including for Germany.
Short stories by Moussa Abadi

Multi-religious life in the Jewish Quarter of Damascus

Syrian author Moussa Abadi depicts peaceful coexistence in the Jewish Quarter of 1920s Damascus in ‘The Queen and the Calligrapher’. The characters may be quirky and the stories bizarre, but they show us that the Damascus of yesterday could be a model for our own time.
Deportations to Afghanistan and Syria

The rule of law and its careless enemies

Those who turn to Assad or the Taliban instead of the German constitutional state when it comes to questions of security, fail to understand what makes those regimes tick.
Restoring the IS-destruction of cultural heritage

Key to overcome the past

A decade after Islamic State militants tried to destroy the rich history of Iraq and Syria, the hard work to rebuild the nations' cultural heritage continues. The ancient city of Hatra succumbed to an attack by Islamic State fighters. It’s now being repaired.
Relations with the Middle East

Europe can still make a difference

The European Union is faced with the challenge of finding a common line towards the Middle East that both takes into account the different national positions and promotes a coherent foreign policy. How can this be realized?
Syrians in Lebanon

Not safe to stay, not safe to go home

Desperate Syrians are weighing up whether to stay in an increasingly hostile Lebanon or risk a precarious existence in areas held by the Syrian opposition. The return journey is deadly and conditions in Syria are tough
Islamists in Idlib

Syrian protesters rise up against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

Opponents of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad seeking refuge in Idlib are now protesting against local Islamist hardliners Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group is accused of becoming increasingly dictatorial
Najat Abed Alsamad's "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst"

Searching for life

Najat Abed Alsamad's award-winning novel, "La Ma'a Yarwiha", has been published in German translation as "Kein Wasser stillt ihren Durst" (No water quenches her thirst). In it, she tells the story of a young Druze woman who roundly rejects the traditional rules imposed on her by her parents and relatives and begins a long fight for her freedom