Politics

Armenian Policy on Turkey

Domestic Policy Shifts

The governing coalition in Armenia has suspended talks with Ankara over a normalisation of bilateral relations. Primarily the Armenian diaspora has threatened to withdraw all support from Yerevan if demands on Turkey are moderated. By Lennart Lehmann
Media in Kyrgyzstan

An Opportunity for Press Freedom?

The overthrow of the government in Kyrgyzstan has meant that the country's media has had to reposition itself. Media that used to be close to the opposition are now close to the government, which says it wants to encourage press freedom. By Edda Schlager
Indonesia's Blasphemy Law

The Regulation of Faith by the State

The Indonesian Constitutional Court has endorsed the country's controversial blasphemy law, which many liberal politicians and human rights activists regard as a relic of the past that could further exacerbate religious tensions. Christina Schott reports from Jakarta
Protests in Lebanon against Religious Influence

The Confessional System in the Dock

More than 3,000 Lebanese took part in a demonstration in Beirut last weekend against the influence of religion on politics, an influence that they believe represents a long-term threat to internal peace in Lebanon. Details from Birgit Kaspar
Turkish-Armenian Rapprochement

The End of a Long Beginning

A dialogue between Armenians and Turks on the Armenian genocide appears to be an impossible prospect – but academics on both sides are showing that the opposite is the case. Wolfgang Gust reports
Europe's Iran Policy

Breaking out of the Spiral of Mistrust

The West should reach out to Iran on the issue of nuclear power, but should take a firm stance on human rights abuses, writes Volker Perthes, the respected Middle East expert and director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin
Interview with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu

"Turkey Creates Balance in the Middle East"

Turkey's foreign policy has been under the spotlight in recent months, with many Western commentators expressing concern about a perceived swing toward a more Middle Eastern orientation. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu speaks to Ayşe Karabat about his country's new regional role
By Ayşe Karabat
Interview with Sefer Turan

New Arabic Station Aims to Unite Turkish and Arab Worlds

Turkish state-run TRT has launched a new Arabic TV channel, At Turkiyya. Speaking to Ayşe Karabat, At Turkiyya Coordinator Sefer Turan says its aim is to break down the barriers between the Arab and Turkish worlds, not generate propaganda
Uprising in Kyrgyzstan

Used to Informal Solutions

Kyrgyzstan's interim government and its leader, Roza Otunbayeva, are firmly in the saddle after the recent overthrow of the authoritarian president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev. But where to now for the Central Asian country after the changeover of power in Bishkek? Edda Schlager provides some answers
Seventh Anniversary of the Fall of Saddam Hussein

Iraq's Pandora's Box

The pictures went around the world: toppling the huge Saddam statue in Baghdad on 9 April 2003 was the dawning of a new political era in Iraq. Yet the euphoria over the new-found freedom was soon followed by disillusionment. Nagih Al-Obaidi has the details
Lancelot von Naso's "Ceasefire"

Helpless Helpers in Iraq

The German film "Waffenstillstand" ("Ceasefire") highlights the dilemma of the aid workers and journalists caught between impotence and commitment, tremendous courage and bitter political reality – a journey into hell, based on actual events. Petra Tabeling has been to see it
French-Algerian Relations

The Shadow of a Colonial Heritage

An Algerian plan to pass a law which would make it possible to bring French crimes from the colonial period before the courts has led to new tension in the already difficult relationship between France and Algeria. By Bernhard Schmid