Politics
Topics
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Weapons exports to Israel
"Unlawful arms export licences have likely been issued"
Germany remains one of Israel's top arms suppliers, a situation likely to persist under Friedrich Merz. According to Lilian Löwenbrück from the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, politicians and manufacturers could face charges for complicity in crimes against international law.
By Hannah El-Hitami -
Germany's new government
Merz, Netanyahu and the reason of state
Under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Germany is expected to double down on its support for Israel, even if it means sidelining international law. Domestically, repression of Israel's critics is set to intensify.
By Daniel Bax -
Pankaj Mishra on Germany, Israel and Palestine
"An anarchic, nihilistic world"
The West, particularly Germany, has instrumentalised Holocaust remembrance to justify state violence, argues Pankaj Mishra. A conversation on suppressed colonial histories, Western complicity in Gaza and Germany's role in the erosion of international law.
By Elias Feroz -
Anti-Erdoğan protests
Turkey at the crossroads
The March arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has sparked widespread protests demanding his release and fresh presidential elections. Successful or not, the protests point to a changing face of Turkish society.
By Ceyda Nurtsch -
Two years of war in Sudan
A fractured nation on the brink of partition
Two years in, Sudan's war shows no signs of resolution. As both sides push to establish rival governments, civilians bear the brunt of the violence, and national divisions threaten to become permanent.
By Hamid Khalafallah -
UGTT in crisis
The decline of Tunisia's most powerful trade union
Plagued by internal divisions, Tunisia's UGTT union is losing the political influence it gained after the 2011 revolution. What is behind the crisis—and how has President Kais Saied capitalised?
By Mohamed Ben Rajeb -
Civil society since the Arab Spring
Europe must support the agents of change
Civil society organisations in West Asia and North Africa face widespread repression. But instead of supporting activists on the ground, European policymakers continue to prop up autocratic regimes.
By Ilyas Saliba -
Erdoğan rival Ekrem İmamoğlu
Detained but defiant
Days before he was set to secure his official presidential candidacy, Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on corruption and terrorism charges. A relative unknown until he won Istanbul's mayoralty in 2019, how did he become Erdoğan's greatest rival?
By Ayşe Karabat -
Syria after Assad
A future built on citizenship and freedom
Syria's new leadership has not made a clear enough commitment to civil liberties. An inclusive understanding of citizenship, rooted in the history of Arab national movements, is needed to ensure that the goals of the 2011 uprising are not lost from view.
By Samir Aita -
Öcalan and the PKK
From terrorist to peacemaker
On Saturday, the PKK declared a ceasefire in response to jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan's call to disarm. The collapse of the last Turkey-PKK ceasefire in 2015 triggered an eruption of violence. Will Öcalan succeed in ending the 47-year-old conflict this time?
By Leyla Egeli -
Turkey and post-Assad Syria
Bound together by fate, history and migration
Turkey’s close ties to the new Syrian regime have reignited fierce debates at home. In Syria, Turkey sees a reflection of its own deep divisions—Islamist vs. secular, Alawite vs. Sunni, Turkish vs. Kurdish.
By Ayşe Karabat -
German elections 2025
Debates on the Middle East, migration and antisemitism
Germany heads to the polls on 23 February. Where do the main parties stand on migration, Israel and Gaza, antisemitism and the future of Syria?
By Leon Holly
Most read articles
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Displacement in Gaza
A whole life in one bag
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Journalists in Gaza
A new generation bears witness
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Forensic expert in Syria
"Opening the graves is not a priority"
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Egyptian author Youssef Rakha
"The Cairo I've known is being eroded"
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Afghans in Pakistan
Ruthless displacement
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Pankaj Mishra on Germany, Israel and Palestine
"An anarchic, nihilistic world"