Politics

A New Wave of Violence in Pakistan

Good Taliban, Bad Taliban

Following the recent attacks in Pakistan, the question arises once more: how serious is the Pakistani army about its break with the Taliban, bearing in mind that it was the Pakistani army and the secret service which built up the Taliban in the first place? By Thomas Bärthlein
Civil War in North Yemen

Uncertain Fronts

At first glance, it appears to be a Shiite-Sunni proxy war between the rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. Yet, the situation on the ground is far from simple. The civil war in North Yemen is also about power in Sanaa – as well as saving face after five years of fighting. A report by Klaus Heymach
Turkey's Kurdish Initiative

Is the Glass Half Empty or Fully Empty?

Recent moves in Turkey to address the country's long-standing "Kurdish issue", although initially welcomed by the nation's Kurds, are increasingly being questioned, with many beginning to doubt whether the efforts are comprehensive or sincere enough to succeed. Ayşe Karabat reports
History of the Iranian nuclear programme

The trauma of vulnerability

Originally, the Iranian leadership considered nuclear weapons un-Islamic. However, the experience of the Iran–Iraq War led to the political conviction within Iran that the country needs nuclear arms. Katajun Amirpur looks back at the history of Iran's nuclear programme
Egypt's Role in the Middle East

Midwife of Peace

In the Middle East it's rare to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Time to change the software – the chances for solutions are looking good. The USA has regained respect in the region and Iran is occupied with itself. Egypt in particular can play a key role in finally creating stability. By Abdel-Monem Said
The Assad Dynasty in Syria

From Father to Son

A trend is emerging in the authoritarian countries of the Arab world: political power is being handed down from generation to generation. Kristin Helberg takes a closer look at the phenomenon, highlighting the case of Bashar al-Assad in Syria
Show Trials against Dissidents in Iran

Destruction of a Hero

The mass trials against Iran's dissidents continue despite international protests. One of the accused is Said Hajjarian, an architect of the democracy movement in Iran and one of the country's prominent reformers. Charlotte Wiedemann reports
Farouk Hosny and the UNESCO Director-General Election

Leitmotif Opportunism

As a representative of an authoritarian regime, the Egyptian minister of culture Farouk Hosny would never have made a suitable head of UNESCO. Yet rather than finding a better Arab candidate to lend the dialogue between cultures a new lease of life, most states took an opportunist stance. Stephan Roll comments
Interview with Peter Waldmann

Identity Problems as a Driving Force for Jihad

According to the terrorism expert Peter Waldmann, ideology plays a secondary role in the radicalisation process of militant Islamists in the West. The main problem, he argues, are problems with their identity and acceptance in society. Peter Waldmann spoke to Sheryn Rindermann
Turkey's Aramaean Minority

More Than Just Mor Gabriel

Driven out by economic hardship and discrimination at local and state level in the 1960s and by forced evacuations in the 1990s, Southeastern Turkey's Aramaeans are starting to return home, only to find that their ancestral lands no longer belong to them. Ayse Karabat reports
Muslims in Germany

The Future Chancellor-Makers

Muslims in Germany form a potential voting block that cannot to be ignored. But what are their political preferences and to what extent do the German parties take Muslim sensibilities into account? Moritz Baumstieger reports
The Image of Israel in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Anti-Israeli Dogma

The Islamic Republic has an unbroken history of propaganda against Israel. Despite several shifts of focus, it has been a factor in Iran from the revolution in 1979 to the present day, as Joseph Croitoru elaborates