Politics

Iran Nuclear Conflict

The Gaping Void in the Debate over Iran

Many believe an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities is simply a matter of time. The need to halt Tehran's nuclear programme is justified by what is claimed to be the direct threat to the existence of Israel posed by an Iranian nuclear bomb. But the cogency of this theory is rarely scrutinised. An essay by Ulrich von Schwerin
By Ulrich von Schwerin
Gunter Grass Poem Controversy

Reading Grass in Gaza

In Germany, a public debate has been engendered by a bad poem. But the situation of the people in the Gaza Strip, people for whom questions of peace or war are matters of vital importance, is of no interest to those engaged in the debate. An essay by René Wildangel
By René Wildangel
Algeria and the Arab Spring

Opting for the Status Quo Rather than Experimentation

In spite of strikes and protest campaigns, until now there have been no uprisings in Algeria comparable to those in other Arab states. The fact that a large percentage of the population consists of young people who are unhappy with the government is still not an adequate prerequisite for mass protest, writes Sigrid Faath in her analysis
By Sigrid Faath
Presidential Race in Egypt

Political Power Games on the Nile

The political tug-of-war in the run-up to the presidential elections in Egypt continues despite the fact that the front-runners representing the Islamists and the former regime have been disqualified. Details from Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo
By Karim El-Gawhary
The Arab Spring and the Failure of Egyptian Secularism

Opportunity Missed

Although the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt were secular, it was Islamists in both countries that swept the board in recent parliamentary elections. What went wrong for the Arab liberal secularists? How could they reconnect with the masses?
By Amira Mohsen Galal
Presidential Candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh

Egypt's Future Middle-Ground Man?

More than 14 months on from an uprising that ousted the former regime of Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, the Muslim Brotherhood is in power and establishing its political strength in parliament. Once dubbed the future reformist of the Brotherhood, the independent candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh now faces the ire of the country's leading political movement, whose own candidate has just been banned. Joseph Mayton reports
By Joseph Mayton
History of the Lebanese Civil War

Coming to Blows over a School Textbook

More than two decades after the end of the civil war and with fresh fears that the conflict could erupt again at any time, many people in Lebanon think it is still too soon to start trying to make sense of the country's history. Also, as Sonja Hegasy reports from Beirut, the upheaval in the region is having an effect on this debate
By Sonja Hegasy
The Israeli–Iranian Nuclear Crisis

Before the Ears Go Deaf

If Israel attacks Iran in an attempt to avoid a possible catastrophe, it will itself be causing a catastrophe. In this essay, Israeli author David Grossman calls for restraint
By David Grossman
The Free Syrian Army

''Don't Drag our Revolution through the Mud!''

In an article entitled "The Burial Brigade of Homs" published on 29 March 2012, the German news magazine SPIEGEL online asserted that the Free Syrian Army has been responsible for the systematic sentencing, torture and execution of militiamen, soldiers and supporters of the Assad regime. In an interview with Sakr El Horea, the commander of the Al Farouk Brigade in Homs, Abdel Razaq Tlass, denies the accusations
By Sakr El Horea
Qatar's Foreign Policy

Small Emirate, Potent Influence

During the Arab uprisings, the emir of Qatar may well have become one of the most influential leaders in the Arab world. Stephanie Doetzer takes a look at the religious, political, social, economic and geographical factors that shape the creative foreign policy of the tiny Gulf state of Qatar
By Stephanie Doetzer
Debate about Günter Grass's Poem

The Best of Intentions, the Worst of Outcomes

Günter Grass is not an anti-Semite, as his critics and the politically conservative media are claiming; however, for an objective discussion about the dangers of a possible military strike against Iran, his poem is counterproductive, says Stefan Weidner
By Stefan Weidner
Conspiracy Fears in Syria

The Power of the Big Story

One of the most effective weapons in President Assad's arsenal is what Jan Kuhlmann refers to as "the big story", the conspiracy theory peddled by the regime that foreign powers are behind the uprising in Syria. In this essay, Kuhlmann takes a closer look at this and other "big stories" circulating in the Arab world and examines their roots and their consequences
By Jan Kuhlmann