Politics

Interview with Rafik Schami

Defending the Assad kingdom

According to renowned Syrian-born writer Rafik Schami, Assad's survival concept is quite straightforward: to keep his clan in power at any price. He is being aided in this endeavour by the West's indecisiveness towards his regime. Interview conducted by Eren Güvercin
By Eren Güvercin
Syria and the Ba'ath regime

Assad and the post-eternity era

Assad and no other. Assad is no one. He is a nebulous being soaked in blood and trampling on corpses, a man who claims to be president of a republic that no longer exists, writes Elias Khoury in his essay
By Elias Khoury
Turkey a year after the Gezi protests

The dream is over

The lack of mass protests against Erdogan's policies on the first anniversary of last summer's demonstrations in Taksim Square and Gezi Park highlights the lack of unity within the Gezi movement and the continuing crackdown on civil society activists and organisations in Turkey. By Luise Sammann in Istanbul
By Luise Sammann
EU election monitors in Egypt

Alienating all sides

The EU wants it both ways: it would like to retain the moral upper hand as the cradle of democracy, while at the same time maintaining good links with Egypt's new leader, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. A commentary by Karim El-Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
Local election re-run in Turkey

"My strategy is honesty"

On 1 June 2014, some local elections in Turkey were re-run after the results of the original polls were contested. Re-runs were held in the provincial capitals of Agri and Yalova. For the citizens of the eastern Anatolian city of Agri, the outcome was a surprise: the candidate of the Kurdish BDP party, Sirri Sakik, clearly prevailed against the ruling AKP, taking 51 per cent of the vote. Observations from Agri by Ekrem Guzeldere
By Ekrem Eddy Güzeldere
Power struggle in Libya

A permanent state of chaos

Over the course of just ten days, Libya moved through various degrees of state crisis at high speed. It now seems to be back to square one again. From Tripoli, Valerie Stocker takes a closer look at recent chaotic events
By Valerie Stocker
Presidential election in Syria

No Holds Barred

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad intends to have himself confirmed in office for a further seven years in early June. The regime's propaganda machinery is running flat out in advance of the election. Since the beginning of the revolution, the Syrian powers-that-be have been working hard to turn both domestic and international public opinion in their favour. By Martina Sabra
By Martina Sabra
The Bahraini activist Ala'a Shehabi

David versus goliath

The Bahraini economist Ala'a Shehabi has taken up the fight for democracy in her native country. In light of the fact that the repression of activists has increased here over the past three years and that the regime is spending millions on PR, hers is set to be a long, uphill struggle. By Iris Mostegel
By Iris Mostegel
Presidential election in Egypt

No real choice

It is a foregone conclusion that Egypt's military ruler Abdul Fattah al-Sisi will win the first presidential election since the ousting of the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. Nevertheless, true democracy in the land on the Nile is still a long way off, writes Loay Mudhoon
By Loay Mudhoon
Pope Francis in the Middle East

Gestures laden with symbolism

The visit of Pope Francis to the Israeli-occupied West Bank has lifted the spirits of Christians across the region. The Pope expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people through actions rather than words: not only did he fly directly to the West Bank from Jordan instead of stopping in Tel Aviv first, he also prayed at the Israeli separation wall. By Kate Shuttleworth
By Kate Shuttleworth
Federalism and state-building in Yemen

Between transition and stagnation

With the conclusion of the National Dialogue Conference and the decision to introduce a federal system, Yemen would appear to be moving forward in its transition process, paving the way for a new constitution and democratic elections. However, things in the country are not as rosy as they might seem at first glance. By Marie-Christine Heinze
By Marie-Christine Heinze
Presidential election in Egypt

The déja vu state

Hardly anyone doubts that Abdul Fattah al-Sisi will sweep to victory in Egypt's presidential election on 26 and 27 May, restoring the old, repressive Egyptian state. In this essay, Atef Botros outlines why he feels that it is questionable whether Sisi will succeed and be able to maintain his grip on power in the long term.
By Atef Botros