Essays
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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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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
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Mansoura Ez Eldin on Women's Rights in EgyptBetween Hammer and Anvil
In her essay, the well-known Egyptian writer Mansoura Ez Eldin sketches a gloomy picture of post-revolutionary social conditions in her homeland, where she says women are facing increasing political marginalisation and being robbed of their basic rights
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Joris Luyendijk on the Prospects for Societal Change in EgyptA Riveting Wave of Political and Religious Soul Searching
On the road to democratic and economic development, Egypt faces two major hurdles: endemic corruption, and a deadbeat educational system. But, says Joris Luyendijk, there may be hope from an unexpected corner: Islam
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9/11 and the Arab SpringThe End of the ''Antithesis''
Ten years after 9/11, the idea that Islam is fundamentally opposed to Western democratic values has had its day. In fact, the Arab Spring reveals both Muslims and the image of the West from a different perspective.
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Critical Reflections on the Arab RevolutionsProfiteers from Authoritarian Decay
Khalil al-Anani, an Egyptian political scientist at Durham University in England, laments in his essay that, after the fall of the autocratic rulers of Tunisia and Egypt, sweeping social change has yet to come about, as the political realm is still dominated by the same old men
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Uprising against the Assad Regime in SyriaIs This a Second Libya?
In his essay, Radwan Ziadeh, founder and director of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies and an activist during the "Damascus Spring", discusses several possible scenarios for the outcome of the conflict between the Syrian regime and the protest movement