Politics

Protests against Mohammed film in the Arab World

Adding Grist to the Salafists' Mill

This is the latest episode of an ongoing saga that sees both western Islamophobes and Arab Salafists upping the ante. It began with a film produced in the US and viewed as a provocation by Muslims, and ended provisionally with four dead at the US consulate in Benghazi. Details from Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo
By Karim El-Gawhary
Egypt President Morsi

Consolidating Power

Egypt's President Morsi is consolidating his power by removing remnants of the military leadership. His critics accuse him of running an authoritarian state; however, the Muslim Brotherhood dismisses those claims. Matthias Sailer reports
By Matthias Sailer
Interview with the Tunisian lawyer Yadh Ben Achour

''Tunisia is in a phase full of contradictions''

Yadh Ben Achour is the winner of the 2012 International Democracy Award Bonn. The Tunisian lawyer and expert on constitutional law told Chamselassil Ayari how Islamist forces are gaining strength in his country
By Chamselassil Ayari
Interview with Sari Nusseibeh

Plea for Radical Pragmatism

Sari Nusseibeh, a prominent Palestinian philosopher, says that the two-state solution is no longer viable. In this interview with Naima El Moussaoui, he argues that a single Jewish state on the whole territory in exchange for second-class Palestinian status could help move the situation out of gridlock
By Naima El Moussaoui
South Sudan One Year after Independence

Unresolved Conflicting Issues

One year after South Sudan's independence hostilities with its northern neighbour continue. But due to the high degree of interdependence between North and South even after their separation, the two countries are forced to resolve their conflicting issues. An analysis by Stefan Wolff
By Stefan Wolff
Interview with Muriel Asseburg

Syrian Opposition Plans 'The Day After' in Berlin

Syrian opposition activists have been discussing in Berlin how to reconstruct post-Assad Syria. Muriel Asseburg of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs explains the aims of the workshop
By Kersten Knipp
Syrians in Germany

The Hopes and Fears of the Exile

Syrians at home and abroad are divided in their attitudes to the Assad regime. In many cases, exile is a kind of microcosm of rivalling religious denominations and interest groups. Fabian Schmidmeier spoke to some exiled Syrians in Germany
By Fabian Schmidmeier
Egyptian Writer Alaa al-Aswani

Democracy Is the Solution!

The well-known Egyptian writer and activist Alaa al-Aswani praises the President for his decision to replace the country's two top military generals. But, he says, Mohammed Mursi must now prove that he is really serious about establishing democracy in Egypt
By Alaa al-Aswani
The Gulf Monarchies and the Arab Spring

Counter-revolution in the Gulf

Far away from the attention of Western media, the oil-rich Gulf monarchies are currently trying to avoid being hit by the wave of uprisings and revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East. So far, they have not only been successful in doing so, they've even managed to exploit the uprisings for their own purposes. Matthias Sailer reports
By Matthias Sailer
Changes in Egypt's Military Leadership

Mursi Reaches Agreement with the Generals

The changes in the Egyptian military leadership are not the result of a "civilian putsch", says Stephan Roll of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). They are rather the result of a long-planned changeover from one generation to the next, in which the generals will continue to hold a veto in any future political system
By Stephan Roll
Lin Noueihed and Alex Warren on the Arab Spring

Post-revolution Patchwork

In their book The Battle for the Arab Spring: Revolution, Counter-Revolution and the Making of a New Era, Lin Noueihed and Alex Warren show how differently the countries affected by the uprisings of 2011 are developing. They conclude that for a number of reasons, post-Arab Spring democracies will not turn out to be similar to those in the West. Paul Hockenos read the book
By Paul Hockenos
The Political Legacy of the Baath Regime

Assad's Systematic Destruction of Syria

According to the writer Khaled Hroub, it's the Assad regime which carries the responsibility for the escalation of the violence in Syria: since the start of the initially peaceful revolution in the country, it is the regime which has driven the militarisation of the conflict. The regime has also split society along religious lines and destroyed the national structure of the country
By Khaled Hroub