Politics

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
Report from the Battle Zone of Aleppo

Too Much Trust in God

For weeks, the rebels and the Syrian army have been fighting for control of Aleppo, the strategically important trade capital in the north of Syria. Suffering most under the violence in the embattled city is the civilian population. Peter Steinbach reports from Aleppo
By Peter Steinbach
The Supreme Military Council in Egypt Loses Its Power

The Old Guard Steps Down

The political disempowerment of the supreme military leadership in Egypt must be the most important event since the fall of the former president, Hosni Mubarak. For the first time in the recent history of the country, a civilian president has issued a ruling which publicly confronts the military. By Karim El-Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
Unrest in Tajikistan

The Spectre of Civil War

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a bloody ethnic conflict raged in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. The peace accord of 1997 appeared to put an end to the fighting, but recent clashes on the border with Afghanistan indicate that the civil war may be flaring up again. Marcus Bensmann explains the background to the conflict
Uprising in Syria

Zero Hour Approaching for Syria

Zero hour may not yet have arrived for the Syrian regime, but the sense of security in Damascus is fractured and illusory, and the misguided responses of the regime are causing fear and apprehension among the people, writes Fawwaz Haddad from Damascus in his essay
By Fawwaz Haddad
Alliance between the PKK and the Assad Regime

A Political Sect on the Wrong Track

Just as the Assad regime is foundering, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, is proving to be its loyal henchman. In this essay, Stefan Buchen writes that PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan made a deal with the Syrian regime back in the days of Hafez al-Assad
By Stefan Buchen
Series of Terrorist Attacks in Iraq

A Culture of Violence

On the fourth day of the holy month of Ramadan, bombs went off simultaneously in 14 Iraqi cities, marking a new peak in al-Qaeda activity since the withdrawal of American troops at the end of last year. The terrorist network is shamelessly exploiting the way people behave during Ramadan, as Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
By Birgit Svensson
The Syrian Conflict

Preparing for the Endgame

Syria's fate is being decided on the battlefield and not at the negotiating table. In some parts of the country, the post-Assad era has already begun. The Syrian opposition must now prepare itself to assume power and needs support from the international community, writes Kristin Helberg
By Kristin Helberg
Egypt's Future following the Election of Mohammed Mursi

Have No Fear, Democracy is Here!

In this essay, leading Egyptian youth activist Ziyad al-Alimi argues that millions of Egyptians only voted for Mohammed Mursi to prevent a return to the Mubarak system. He says that instead of viewing it as a setback, the election result should be seen as marking the start of a democratic breakthrough
By Ziyad al-Alimi
Opinion: Abdullah Iskandar on the Damascus Bomb Attack

The Syrian Regime's Strategic Failure

Political analyst Abdullah Iskandar holds the Syrian regime responsible for the fact that the peaceful revolution in Syria has escalated into an armed conflict. He asserts that the regime's stubborn insistence on using military force to suppress opposition drove its opponents to arms
By Abdullah Iskandar