Politics

Youth in the Middle East

A Dangerous Time Bomb

The population of Iran and the Arab world is growing at a dizzying rate. Peter Philipp says that, if these young people are to be offered a perspective as they storm into the job market, the West must help in promoting the economic development of these countries.
The Srebrenica Massacre

Can Serbia Face the Past?

Monday marked the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, when Serbian forces killed about 8,000 Muslims during the Bosnian war. Observers in Germany say Serbia's future hinges on a readiness to take responsibility. Mathis Winkler reports
Terror in London

Living with Growing Suspicion

Following the Islamist attacks on London, Britain's Muslim minority has found itself subject to a mood of growing suspicion and mistrust. Peter Philipp says it makes little difference whether the country's Muslims have contact to radical Islamists or not
Book Review Volker Perthes

Arab Elites: Negotiating the Politics of Change

The recent deaths of four long-term heads of state in the Arab world heralded important political changes. Shedding light on these changes Volker Perthes explores the attitudes and agendas of the new leadership emerging throughout the region. By Wolfgang G. Schwanitz
Headscarf Dispute in Turkey

Veiled Debates

The dispute over the headscarf ban in Turkey is displacing more urgent discussions on present-day relations between state and religion. Both Islamist forces and the politically inflexible Kemalists who oppose headscarves benefit, writes Ömer Erzeren.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali / Geert Mak

The Trend towards Ideologising Public Debate in the Netherlands

The Somali-born Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali makes use of clichés about Islam and demands that Muslims be tested as to their convictions. The intellectual Geert Mak complains of an ideologising of public discussion. By Ilja Braun
Analysis Lies Marcoes-Natsir

The Headscarf: Symbol of Defiance or Symbol of Loyalty?

In Indonesia, the headscarf has gained popularity since the 1980s, but although Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation, it is the political sphere that largely defines the meaning of the "hijab". By Lies Marcoes-Natsir
Development Cooperation

Helpless Help

Despite the best of intentions, development aid doesn' accomplish much, says Kiflemariam Gebre-wold. Without a thorough overhaul of the foreign aid machinery of assistance, the world will not reach the Millennium Development Goals
UN Coordinator Eveline Herfkens:

"Bring the Millennium Development Goals on to the Streets"

The development community has declared 2005 to be the decisive year for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In this interview, Eveline Herfkens, UN Coordinator for the MDGs Campaign, explains what has to be done now to move closer to the goals.
Kifaya – Enough is Enough

Egyptian Youth Demands Change

Around a hundred young people from the Egyptian "Kifaya" movement, which fights for the democratisation of Egypt, have founded a youth movement. Nelly Youssef reports on the aims of the "Kifaya" youth
Democratic Reform in the Arab World

Mirages and Realities

The latest Arab Human Development Report, by richly documenting the deep social problems of the Arab world, reinforces awareness among Arab citizens of how far they must go to achieve democratic freedoms.
By Fred Halliday
Commentary: Iran's Presidential Election

A Triumph for Islamist Hardliners

In a surprise victory, Teheran's archconservative mayor Ahmadinejad has won the presidential election – in large part, Peter Philipp argues, due to low voter turnout and calls for a boycott on the part of Iranian dissidents in exile.