Politics

Commentary Hamas' Electoral Win

Headache for Israel and the West

Hamas has a reputation among the electorate of social involvement and incorruptibility. For Israel and the West, however, the radical Islamic Hamas is a political pariah. Peter Philipp comments the outcome of the Palestinian elections
Drug Trafficking in Tajikistan

Fighting a Losing Battle

If Europe and the US had their way, the drugs from Afghanistan would end their journey to the west at the border with Tajikistan. But such a proposal requires more resources than such a desperately poor country can manage. Tobias Asmuth reports
Islamic NGOs

The Globalisation of Islamic Relief

The experience of one Islamic charity with modest English origins is symbol and portent of changes in the landscape of NGOs worldwide.
By Ehsan Masood
Political Power Struggle in Afghanistan

The President's New Rivals

Following the election of the ethnic Tajik Yunus Qanuni as president of the lower house of parliament, it is just a matter of time before conflicts with President Hamid Karzai erupt, writes Said Musa Samimy
Middle East

Hamas vs. Fatah

For the first time the Islamist Hamas movement is running for Parliament. Opinion polls suggest a neck-and-neck race and a possible sharing of power between the ruling Fatah movement and the highly controversial Hamas. Igal Avidan has more from Ramallah
Commentary Tahir Aslam Gora

Islam Needs to Evolve

The London bombings have shocked the world and once again raised the question 'Why?'. But people who hurry to blame fundamentalists and poverty are missing the point: Islam itself. A commentary by Tahir Aslam Gora
Interview with Tom Koenigs

"The World Has to Prepare for a Long Presence in Afghanistan"

Germany's Tom Koenigs will soon take up his new post as UN special envoy to Afghanistan. Klaudia Prevezanos talked to him about his expectations and Germany's future human rights policy
Intercview with Rupert Neudeck

Beyond Kabul: Travels in Afghanistan

Rupert Neudeck, founder of Cap Anamur, has often travelled through Afghanistan and has got to know the country like few other non-Afghans. His new book provides an impressive description of the Afghan people and their country. Interview by Lale Konuk
The OSCE and Central Asia

A Region of Dictatorships

Central Asia is dominated by despotism and corruption. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has missed its historic chance to improve the situation in the region, argues Marcus Bensmann
The Arab States and the Iranian Nuclear Program

Resistance against Regional Power Plays

Despite ongoing criticism, Iran has given the green light for the resumption of the country's nuclear program. Fear of an Iranian atomic bomb is thus once again on the rise, not only in the West, but in the Arab world as well, as Frederik Richter reports
Iran's Nuclear Program

More Information on Iran, Please!

Iran has resumed its nuclear power program. But the commotion about it by politicians in the European Union and the United States is unjustified, according to Peter Philipp
Pakistan

Emergency Relief in a Military State

According to S. Akbar Zaidi, the crisis management in the aftermath of the earthquake in Kashmir has shown that Pakistan's President is out of touch with the needs of the people, and that the country is still firmly in the grip of the military