Politics

Alliance of Leftist and Islamist Leaders

False Friends

Hatred of the USA is uniting leftist and Islamist leaders. Anti-Semitic propaganda and conspiracy theories are part of the way they see the world says Wolf-Dieter Vogel in his essay
Jihad in Web 2.0

Interactive Propaganda

For years now extremist websites have been spreading the word of Osama bin Laden via his video messages. Now the propaganda of hate and violence is also turning increasingly to the so-called Web 2.0. Jens Rosbach reports
Interview with Henny Kreeft

"We Don't Want to Establish a Muslim Republic in the Netherlands"

Henny Kreeft is the leader of the Netherland's Muslim Party, NMP. In this interview with Eren Güvercin he talks about his unusual route to the NMP leadership and the main goals of his party
Religious vs. Secular Authorities

The Egyptian Sickness

Religious fanatics have long been waging a campaign in the courts and the media intended to silence critical intellectuals. The prominent political scientist Amr Hamzawy calls for a public debate on the issue of the status of Sharia in the Egyptian constitution
Tariq Ramadan Debate

Dismissal over TV Show

Tariq Ramadan, one of Europe's best-known Muslim intellectuals, has been removed from the University of Rotterdam because he works for an Iranian television channel. Dirk Schümer has the details
Mauritania's New Foreign Minister

The Woman Declaring War on Al Qaeda

Mauritania is the first Arab country with a female foreign minister – a sign of increasing modernity in the Islamic Republic in northwestern Africa, says Rudolph Chimelli
Hosni Mubarak

Autocrat or Peacemaker?

In office since 1981, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is considered a factor for stability in the region and a reliable ally against extremism – despite the fact that Mubarak is anything but a flawless democrat. Hassan Znined reports
A Study of the Security Situation in Afghanistan

A More Positive Evaluation for Kunduz and Takhar

In northeastern Afghanistan, international involvement is perceived as an important security factor by the local population – this according to the results of a new study. But interpretation of the results should be critically assessed, explains the study's author Jan Koehler, in conversation with Ulrich von Schwerin
Presidential Elections in Afghanistan

Successful Candidate – Shaky Candidate

Although Hamid Karsai has been declared the winner of the election, the Afghan president is now himself seen by the West as a cause of great insecurity and western governments involved in Afghanistan will be making an even greater effort to find an alternative to him. Report by Andreas Zumach
Lebanon Three Years on from the War against Israel

Calm Before the Storm

Beirut is bursting at the seams – only three years after the war against Israel in 2006, tourists are flooding back into Lebanon. Although the country's situation is relatively stable, relations with Israel remain tense, as Birgit Kaspar reports from Beirut
Turkey's "Kurdish Problem"

Is the End in Sight?

The Turkish government has accelerated efforts to shape a plan to solve the country's long-standing Kurdish problem, but even before the plan's details have been announced the opposition has started to criticize it, a sure sign of the difficulties ahead. By Ayşe Karabat
Interview with Rangin Dadfar Spanta

"Elections are a Milestone for the Afghan Democracy"

In an interview with Loay Mudhoon, the Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta calls for intensified reconstruction efforts, consideration of Pakistan's role in the problems facing his country – and the inclusion of Afghans in all military activities