Politics
Topics
-
Interview Ali al-Atassi"There Is a Need for Pressure from Inside of Syria"
After the withdrawal of the Syrian troops from Lebanon many experts assume that the events will have a political impact on Syria. Bernhard Hillenkamp spoke with Mohammad Ali al-Atassi, Syrian civil society activist and journalist of the Lebanese daily "an-Nahar"
-
The Third World in WWII
"Our Victims Don't Count"
During Europe's commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the end of WWII, the war's victims from the former colonies scarcely found a mention. A new book, "The Third World in WWII," tries to fill the gap. Goetz Nordbruch has been reading it
-
France's EU Referendum
Muslims Divided on EU Constitution
The outcome of France's referendum on the EU constitution is yet unpredictable. Still conservative Muslims in particular seem to find the charter more acceptable than France's emphatically secular political culture. Bernard Schmid reports
-
Georges Corm
"Laicism Should Not Be Seen as a Specifically Western Doctrine"
Georges Corm, economist and former finance minister of Lebanon, doesn't spare the Islamic world criticism, but he also says that the West is far less rationalist than is commonly believed. By Alexandra Senfft
-
Civil Society in Turkey
Asterix of Bergama's Struggle against the Authorities
As the leader of a grassroots movement against the planned mining of gold reserves, Oktay Konyar has been fighting for over ten years. So far, he and his fellow activists have been able to halt the highly toxic mining practices. By Susanne Güsten
-
Presidential Elections in Iran
Hashemi Rafsanjani – The Least Common Denominator
Out of a lack of alternatives, even reformists are pinning their hopes on Hashemi Rafsanjani to shore up the moribund political system, running on a platform of despotism combined with economic liberalism. An analysis by Faraj Sarkohi
-
EU Dialogue with Islamists
Hamas and Hizbullah Key to Mideast Peace?
In mid-April, the EU Foreign Ministers decided to resume dialogue relations with Islamist organizations. Rightly so, argues Islam expert Michael Lüders, stressing it would be shortsighted to view Hamas and Hizbullah only as terrorist organizations.
-
National Land Policy in Israel
Jews and Palestinians Protest Jewish National Fund
Israeli and Arab human rights activists see Israel's land policy as a form of discrimination against the Palestinian minority. Now they are going to Israel's Supreme Court to sue for equal treatment. Joseph Croitoru has the story
-
Central Asian Republics
A Balancing Act between Democracy and Islam
What role does Islam play in the Central Asian republics? What progress has been made in the democratization process and how does the EU fit into the picture? An interview with Reinhard Krumm, director of the Central Asian Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
-
Analysis Fred Halliday
Sudan between War and Politics
In Khartoum, Middle East expert Fred Halliday of the London School of Economics assesses the future of an Islamic regime relieved by peace in southern Sudan, pressed by the International Criminal Court over Darfur, and seeking a political road beyond revolution
-
The Press in the Maghrib
Between a Rock (Censorship) and a Hard Place (Prison)
From Mauritania to Egypt not a day goes by without journalists being harassed because of their work. To mark the International Day of the Freedom of the Press, the Algerian journalist and author Hamid Skif sums up the situation.
-
Turkey and Armenia
"This Is None of Europe's Business"
The Armenian Genocide has increasingly become a factor in Turkey's EU accession talks. In Turkey, even high-ranking officials say the EU position is a typical attack of Western arrogance on Turkish national pride and honour. Dorian Jones reports
Most read articles
-
Ahmed Isamaldin
"Gold is directly connected to the violence in Sudan"
-
Religious diversity in Tunisia
The Virgin Mary on the streets of Tunis
-
Gilbert Achcar on the impact of 9/11
"The Iraq War shattered the promise of a new world order"
-
Sex education in the Arab world
Let's talk about sex, habibi!
-
Algeria and France
"We must deepen our understanding of the colonial era"
-
Controversy at Berlin's Biennale art show
Abu Ghraib torture photos in the spotlight