Politics

Janjaweed Militia in Sudan

Darfurs Fragile Peace

The collapse of the Darfur peace agreement designed to resolve the conflict in western Sudan could be averted by a more comprehensive approach to the key issue of disarmament.
By Alex de Waal
Uri Avnery on the Middle East Conflict

Battle with the Myths of Two Peoples

Writer Uri Avnery has been championing the cause of Israeli-Palestinian peace and the coexistence of two states for decades. Silke Bartlick questioned him on the central problem of the ongoing Middle East conflict: myth-making by the Palestinians and Israelis
Politics in Bangladesh

The Fraying of Democracy

Bangladesh is increasingly torn: between economic progress and insecurity, law and impunity, Islamism and secular politics, violence and democracy. Portrait of a troubled country approaching its next major electoral test.
By Liz Philipson
Economic Boycott of the Palestinian Government

The Price of Not Talking to Hamas

The situation in Palestine is deteriorating dramatically. However, not only Hamas is to be blamed but the EU and other international donors as well – their attempt to sideline Hamas has fuelled the current crisis. A commentary by Bettina Marx
Middle East Conflict

Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?

With the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the adversaries are once again bandying about terms like "terrorism" and "resistance" from a highly subjective viewpoint. An objective classification is not always that easy, however. By Peter Philipp
Commentary Nasrin Alavi

Tehran's Red Card to Human Rights

The presence of Tehran's notoriously repressive prosecutor-general, Saeed Mortazavi, as a delegate to the United Nations's new Human Rights Council in Geneva is an international scandal.
By Nasrin Alavi
Afghanistan

Drugs Problem Deeply Ingrained in Society

In Afghanistan, the world's main producer of opium, poppy cultivation was down for the first time since 2001. However, a UN report warned that it could go up again this year. Ratbil Shamel reports
Islam in Russia

Trying to Ease Tensions Within and Without

Moscow's relationship with the Muslim world and majority Muslim neighbours is a sensitive one, as the war in Chechnya has demonstrated. Hermann Krause looked into Russia's relationship with Islam
Interim Constitution for Sudan

Milestone on the Road to Peace

Though highly significant for the peace agreement in Sudan, the new interim constitution has yet to prove itself in political practice. It is supposed to clarify the autonomy of the south and the relationships among the ethnic groups. By Frederik Richter
Indonesia

Abu Bakar Bashir Released

Radical Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has been released from prison in Jakarta after serving time for links to the 2002 Bali bombings. Bashir is alleged to be the spiritual leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah. James Fletcher reports
Iraq's National Soccer Team

Reconstructing Iraq on a Different Front

The Iraqi national soccer team is in Germany for a training camp, making it their first trip to Europe since the end of the war. German coach Bernd Stange says soccer is the best path to international understanding
Reform Policies of the Turkish AK Party

Setting an Example for Arab Islamists?

Many still regard the experiment represented by the Islamic AK Party with skepticism. Nevertheless, there is hope that the party could develop into a reform model for political change among the Islamic movements in the Arab world. By Slaheddine Jourchi