Politics

Interview with Sadiq al-Azm

"Democratisation is a Gradual Process"

Qantara.de interviewed Sadiq Jalal al-Azm, one of the most prominent Arab intellectuals, about democracy in the Arab world, and about the stance Arab intellectuals take towards authority
Shi'a and Sunna and the Mideast Crisis

The View from Pakistan

The war in Lebanon has forged a new unity between secular and religious political forces in Pakistan against Israel and the United States.
By Irfan Husain
US-Pakistani Relations

Pact with the Devil

Pakistan was supposed to serve the USA as a bulwark in the war on terror. Things haven't quite worked out as planned because President Musharraf entered into a Faustian pact with Islamic fundamentalists. Bernard Imhasly reports from Islamabad
Presidential Elections in Yemen

The First Real Election Campaign

As elections approach in Yemen, the current president has little reason to fear defeat after almost three decades in power. Nevertheless, the elections could lead to more democracy in the country. By Klaus Heymach and Susanne Sporrer
Islamist Groups after 9/11

A Historic Opportunity to Expand

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, moderate Islamist groups were able to achieve progress, since they forced the West to differentiate between moderate and radical Islamists. An analysis by Slaheddine Jourchi
Five-Year Commemoration of 9/11

The Primal Scene of a Global Confrontation

September 11 marks the start of a logic of escalation. Even those of our generation understand how such an escalation begins and how it continues to spiral upwards. What we still don't know is how it can be stopped, writes Robert Misik
Amnesty for Islamist Fighters in Algeria

Extension of Deadline Not Ruled Out

The end of August marked the expiration of the period during which radical Islamists in Algeria could lay down their weapons and take advantage of the offer of amnesty. Few fighters have responded to the offer to date. Bernhard Schmid reports on why
Kurdish Conflict Flares Up Once More

The "Freedom Falcons of Kurdistan" Thwart the Ceasefire

Only a few days after the PKK offered a ceasefire agreement to the Turkish state, the "Freedom Falcons of Kurdistan" carried out a number of terrorist attacks. Ömer Erzeren believes that they were a sign the Kurdish movement doesn't know which direction it's going in
In the Aftermath of the Lebanon War

The Big Loser: Democracy

Following three years of unprecedented political dynamism and debates regarding the prospects for democratic transformation in the Arab world, the Arab-Israeli conflict returned to the forefront.
By Amr Hamzawy
New Shia Confidence

Shiite "Arc of Crisis" in the Middle East?

In his article, Middle East and Islam expert Arnold Hottinger describes how, in the recent past, Shia influence in the Middle East has been fuelled by the Iraq and Lebanon armed conflicts
The Lack of Development in Sinai

Poor Huts instead of Flourishing Resorts

The national program to develop the Sinai has resulted in the building of some infrastructure, but has not succeeded in attracting investors to the region, except for a few committed visionaries. Frederik Richter reports
Iran Nuclear Crisis

Iran Lacking in Diplomacy

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again voiced defiance as the UN Security Council deadline for Iran to halt its nuclear program nears. And he again did so without tact or diplomacy, says Peter Philipp