Politics

Unrest in Egypt's universities

Students in the firing line

The revolution lives on at Egypt's universities – still. But the government is moving ever more quickly to break the students' resistance. Details from Markus Symank in Cairo
By Markus Symank
Inside Kobani

The political game and the humanitarian crisis

The city of Kobani in northern Syria has been under seige from Islamic State (IS) for over a month now. In recent days, Turkey has allowed a military convoy of Iraqi peshmerga and Free Syrian Army fighters to pass through its territory en route to Kobani. However, the peshmerga are arriving relatively late in the day. Thousands of Kurds from Syria, Turkey and Iraq have already joined the YPG and are in Kobani defending the city. They may all be fighting the same enemy, but they are certainly not united among themselves. By Kiran Nazish in Erbil
By Kiran Nazish
After the first free parliamentary elections in Tunisia

New horizons or back to square one?

Does the election victory of Nidaa Tounes mean a return to old mechanisms, cronyism and entrenched power structures? Or will the political alliance of convenience succeed in setting a new course for Tunisia's future, fostering socially acceptable compromises and swiftly tackling urgently required economic reforms? By Isabel Schäfer
By Isabel Schäfer
Democratic transformation in Tunisia

The model student faces difficult tasks

Tunisia is the only one of the Arab Spring nations that is on the road to democracy. Almost four years after the first protests, which began in the south, this North African country has become a beacon of light for the whole Arab world. But in spite of its successes to date, Tunisia still faces some huge challenges. By Ilyas Saliba
By Ilyas Saliba
Interview with the Tunisian documentary filmmaker Sami Tlili

"We've reached a crossroads"

In conversation with Martina Sabra, the Tunisian literary scholar and documentary filmmaker Sami Tlili talks about the political future of the North African country following the recent parliamentary elections, and the democratic prospects three years after the "Jasmine Revolution"
By Martina Sabra
The Kurds and Turkish–Iranian relations

Caught between two stools

As differences over Syria and Islamic State continue to deepen between Turkey and Iran, Kurds living across the Middle East are set to become pawns in the intensifying rivalry between these two regional powers. By Dorian Jones in Istanbul
By Dorian Jones
The Syrian conflict and the fight against IS

Time to treat allies like allies

In Syria, unilateral uncoordinated air strikes against IS (Islamic State) are turning people into victims instead of partners in the battle against terror. If they are to win over the Syrians, the international alliance must treat rebels and activists as allies, says Kristin Helberg
By Kristin Helberg
Parliamentary and presidential elections in Tunisia

The euphoria has evaporated

In the run-up to parliamentary elections on 26 October, more than five million Tunisians registered to vote, considerably more than in 2011. Nevertheless, observers expected voter turnout to be low. Many Tunisians are frustrated by the fact that their situation has hardly improved in the three years since the overthrow of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. By Sarah Mersch in Tunis
By Sarah Mersch
Interview with Tunisian human rights activist Bochra Belhadj Hamida

"Demonised, insulted and threatened"

Bochra Belhadj Hamida is a lawyer and one of the most prominent human and women's rights activists in Tunisia. She is now running for parliament for Nidaa Tounes, a new party that brings together a range of political viewpoints. She discussed the current situation in Tunisia in an interview with Martina Sabra
By Martina Sabra
The genesis of Islamic State

A new chapter in the decline of the Arab world

IS is a child of the late cold war and at the same time the beginning of a total war against the countries of the Arab East. It is the consequence of a collapse of political, moral and social values in the region, writes the Lebanese author Elias Khoury
By Elias Khoury
French reactions to IS terror

"What next? Will we ask Muslims to kneel?"

France's divided society is united in condemning the jihadi barbarism of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. From Toulouse, Birgit Kaspar sums up the reactions of French politicians and Islamic organisations
By Birgit Kaspar
Iran's foreign policy in Yemen and Iraq

Arab fear of the "extended arm of Iran"

The recent capture of Sanaa by Zaidi fighters was celebrated in the Iranian media as a "victory for the revolutionaries". The Arab press, by contrast, accused Iran of trying to influence events in Yemen after already getting involved in Iraq and Syria. The conflict increasingly threatens to be seen as an exclusively Sunni–Shia power struggle. By Ali Sadrzadeh
By Ali Sadrzadeh