Politics

Andijan Killings

"Tiananmen" in Uzbekistan

The population of Uzbekistan, a country in which the fight against Islamic extremism is used as an excuse to repress any form of resistance, has no means of expression other than confrontation with the state. By Ulrich Schwerin
EU-Uzbek Relations

"Germany Has Done Everything in its Power to Undermine Sanctions"

The German government has argued that sanctions against Uzbekistan ought to be eased because they had not produced any positive results. In this interview, Veronika Leila Szente Goldston argues that this is the case because the EU had not followed through with a pro-active engagement on the specific steps
Afghanistan Five Years after the Taliban

In the Grip of the Jihadists

Hopes were high for Afghanistan's democratic renewal; but no one wanted to challenge the power of the warrior princes in the north of the country. Today Hamid Karzai's government is mired in a profound crisis of confidence. By Thomas Ruttig
Islamic Reform Movements in Sub-Saharan Africa

Religious Renewal and Social Change

Islamic reform movements in Africa are booming, largely as a result of their commitment to social and educational issues. But in many places they have also taken on a political character and have adopted a rhetoric which rails against westernisation. By Roman Loimeier
Iran's Political Clerics

The Absence of a Credible Religious Authority

After 1979, the religious seminary establishment came to be considered a source of political legitimacy. But even though the Iranian regime consolidated its mastery of the Shiite network in the Middle East, the strategy is beginning to backfire, writes Mehdi Khalaji
Turkey's Application for Membership of the EU

Litmus Test for Europe

The gulf between the secular elite and religious forces in Turkey is wider than ever. But, asks Zafer Senocak, is that not all the more reason for the EU to support the secular and democratic forces in Turkey more than it has done in the past in order to bind the country more closely to Europe?
Reactions in Turkey to the EU Progress Report

Surprised at Europe's Forgetfulness

The European Commission's criticisms in the EU Progress Report on Turkey have met with incomprehension from the political leaders in Ankara. Accoding to Jürgen Gottschlich, the Europeans are unwilling to consider the background of the Cyprus conflict, and their analysis is very one-sided
Interview with Sihem Ben Sedrine

Untiring Work for Human Rights

Sihem Ben Sedrine is a Tunisian journalist and human rights activist. She has now been awarded the 2003 Johann Philipp Palm Prize for Freedom of Speech and the Press. Interview by Silvia Kuske
The Verdict in the Trial of Saddam Hussein

How Many Deaths Can a Dictator Die?

The trial of Saddam Hussein was above all supposed to prepare the ground for a national reconciliation. Yet exactly this has not happened, says Peter Philipp in his commentary
Geostrategy in the Gulf

Europe Should Stop Treating the Region as US Backyard

In the face of the discredited US strategy for the Gulf region, Europe ought to step in and get involved. Europe is able to offer concrete solutions to the region's problems
By Christian Koch
Environmental Disaster in Lebanon

Contaminated for Years to Come

The war in Lebanon has cost not only the lives of thousands of people. The environment is also damaged for years to come as a result of an oil spill, dust and ash rain, as well as the rubbish from destroyed apartments. Bernhard Hillenkamp reports with the details
German Navy off the Lebanese Coast

A New War Is Possible in Lebanon

According to Andreas Zumach, Germany and the other countries involved in the UNIFIL mission have to get Israel to stop its violations of Resolution 1701. Otherwise, he says, there is a risk of a return to war