Politics

Interview with Volker Perthes

New Co-operation Opportunities for Europe and the Arab World

Khaula Saleh spoke to Volker Perthes, Middle East expert and director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, and asked him about the political significance of the Mediterranean Union founded in Paris by the EU and the 18 littoral states of the Mediterranean in Europe, north Africa, and the Middle East
The Federal Structure of Iraq

More Power to the Powers That Be

The Iraqi jurist Naseef Naeem has completed a study which closely examines the emergence, framing, and consolidation of the new Iraqi constitution. The main flaw of this constitution, says Naeem, is that it grants the central government too little power. Sebastian Sons presents the study
Turkey's Political Tug of War

Enlightenment in the Defensive

Tensions are growing between Turkey's governing AKP party and its Kemalist opponents - and a perplexed Europe looks on. The Turkish-German author Zafer Senocak sketches the opposing forces, which Europe often finds difficult to pigeonhole
The Distress of Afghanistan's Repatriates

Hope in a Time of War and Deportation

Repatriates returning to Afghanistan face not only warlike conditions, but also certain hardship. Amidst all this affliction and political tension, one NGO is trying to help repatriates gain a foothold on the labour market. Martin Gerner reports from Herat
US Support for Militant Groups in Iran

Washington's Dubious Allies

The USA is funding underground activities in Iran with a view to toppling the regime in Teheran. In doing so, it is supporting groups that Washington would normally classify as Islamist and terrorist. Peter Philipp reports
Interview with Georges Corm

Double Standards

Georges Corm is convinced that as long as the West pursues double moral standards and applies international law unequally, its attempts to establish dialogue with the Islamic world cannot be taken seriously. Mona Sarkis spoke to the social scientist and former Lebanese Finance Minister
Controversial Headscarf Law

Attack on the Turkish Constitution

In early June, Turkey's Constitutional Court declared the lifting of the ban on headscarves in public institutions as unconstitutional. Ülkü Azrak, an expert in Turkish administrative law, explains the decision from a legal perspective and sees it as an indication of an impending ban on the AKP
Interview with the Political Scientist Cemal Karakas

"A Ban on the AKP Would Be a Setback for Democracy"

Turkey is veering towards a full-scale domestic political crisis. The German-Turkish political scientist Cemal Karakas from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) fears a provisional end to the reform process if the governing AKP is banned. An interview by Dogan Michael Ulusoy
Sarkozy and his Mediterranean Union

France Looks to the Middle East

During his trip through Middle East from 22 to 24 June, France's president Nicolas Sarkozy visited the Palestinian territories and Israel; and once again, he tried to drum up support for his Mediterranean Union. Rainer Sollich provides the background
Interview with François-Xavier Verschave

"Has Africa Ever Been Ready for Dictatorship?"

If Africa remains underdeveloped, it is in the interests of the former colonial powers. Will Europe's policies on Africa steer clear of neo-colonialism? François-Xavier Verschave, the recently deceased expert on Franco-African relations, responds
Journalism in Afghanistan

"The Media Can Change Everything"

Journalists in Afghanistan are under pressure, self-censorship is widely spread, and there is still no independent national newspaper. In this interview with Martin Gerner, Samander Rahimullah, head of the Afghan Independent Journalist Organization, talks about what is to be done
Satellite Channels Targeted

Arab Freedoms Desert the Screen

The Arab ruling elites like to talk a good democracy – but talk is about as far as they get. Rather than advancing the cause of democracy their actions have been directed towards curtailing the newly won freedoms of the media. Amr Hamzawy reports on the Arab regimes' attempts to gag the media nuisance

Politics

Topics

New Co-operation Opportunities for Europe and the Arab World

More Power to the Powers That Be

Enlightenment in the Defensive

Hope in a Time of War and Deportation

Washington's Dubious Allies

Double Standards

Attack on the Turkish Constitution

"A Ban on the AKP Would Be a Setback for Democracy"

France Looks to the Middle East

"Has Africa Ever Been Ready for Dictatorship?"

"The Media Can Change Everything"

Arab Freedoms Desert the Screen

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