Essays
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Europe's ''Judeo-Christian Heritage''The Fiction That It Always Was
Contemporary debate over Europe's identity increasingly refers to the continent's Christian or Judeo-Christian heritage. But a closer look at the history books belies this theory and teaches us that for centuries, Islam and Judaism have played an integral role in shaping European history and that both religions have been regarded with deep hostility down through the centuries. By Stefan Schreiner
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Alliance between the PKK and the Assad RegimeA Political Sect on the Wrong Track
Just as the Assad regime is foundering, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, is proving to be its loyal henchman. In this essay, Stefan Buchen writes that PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan made a deal with the Syrian regime back in the days of Hafez al-Assad
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Egypt's Future following the Election of Mohammed MursiHave No Fear, Democracy is Here!
In this essay, leading Egyptian youth activist Ziyad al-Alimi argues that millions of Egyptians only voted for Mohammed Mursi to prevent a return to the Mubarak system. He says that instead of viewing it as a setback, the election result should be seen as marking the start of a democratic breakthrough
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The Shia-Sunni ConflictThe Most Deadly Religious War of our Time
Preachers like the Sunni legal scholar Yusuf Al-Qaradawi or the Shia Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati are propagating sectarian hate and exacerbating the divide between Islam's two major denominations. In this essay, Stefan Buchen explains how the religious war they have helped to unleash within Islam is having a catastrophic effect on the Greater Middle East
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Anders Behring Breivik and Islamophobia in EuropeThe Capitulation of Mainstream Politics
In this essay, Paul Hockenos writes that it would be a mistake to dismiss Breivik's hate-drenched tirades as the outpourings of a madman and points to the fact that Islamophobia has been a staple of political discourse in European politics and an inspiration for the extreme right since 9/11. He calls for greater vigilance on the part of intelligence and security forces and stronger resistance from democratic parties in Europe
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The Opposition Movement in SyriaBuilding a Credible and Attractive Alternative
After a year of fighting, Syria is at a stalemate: the opposition is unable to topple President Assad's regime, and Assad's forces are unable to quash the resistance. In this essay, Itamar Rabinovich suggests that although the regime is certain to fail in the long run, there is more both the Syrian opposition and the West could do to break the deadlock
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Gunter Grass Poem ControversyReading Grass in Gaza
In Germany, a public debate has been engendered by a bad poem. But the situation of the people in the Gaza Strip, people for whom questions of peace or war are matters of vital importance, is of no interest to those engaged in the debate. An essay by René Wildangel
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Conspiracy Fears in SyriaThe Power of the Big Story
One of the most effective weapons in President Assad's arsenal is what Jan Kuhlmann refers to as "the big story", the conspiracy theory peddled by the regime that foreign powers are behind the uprising in Syria. In this essay, Kuhlmann takes a closer look at this and other "big stories" circulating in the Arab world and examines their roots and their consequences
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SyriaPlea for a Humanitarian Intervention
The urgently needed humanitarian intervention in Syria will only become reality if there is consensus between the five veto powers in the UN Security Council. As impossible as it seems – it can be done, says Andreas Zumach
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Women's Rights and the Arab SpringThe Female Face of the Revolution
One year on from the uprisings that toppled dictators Ben Ali and Mubarak, the revolution is still going on for many women activists in Egypt and Tunisia. Martina Sabra's essay takes a look at how strong their socio-political influence really is