Politics

Parliamentary election in Tunisia

Tunisia's undemocratic drift

Tunisians go to the polls to elect a new parliament on Saturday, 17 December. The election is likely to result in a dummy parliament, sealing its undemocratic credentials. This is the latest episode in a turbulent chapter for the north African country where the Arab Spring began. Can the autocratic drift be reversed? By Amine Ghali
By Amine Ghali
Arab world on tenterhooks

World Cup semi-final – "We are all Moroccans"

Morocco has taken the 2022 World Cup by storm, with the northwest Africans reaching the semi-finals for the first time in their soccer history. As the knockout match approaches, Birgit Svensson's public viewing report from Baghdad throws a different light on Morocco's recent victories in Qatar
By Birgit Svensson
Sudan's path to democratic transition

Will the Sudan deal hold?

Sudanese protesters have been calling for the removal of German diplomat Volker Perthes from the UN mission to the country. Despite the fractious nature of post-dictatorship politics, there are some reasons for optimism, such as the latest deal. By Cathrin Schaer
By Cathrin Schaer
Turkey, Iran – and Iraq's Kurds

Days of reckoning

The Kurds are under attack from two sides: from Turkey, and from Iran. The situation in their territories in northern Iraq is becoming increasingly desperate. Birgit Svensson reports from Erbil
By Birgit Svensson
Politics, Qatar and FIFA

Is criticism of Qatar's World Cup racist?

Locals in the Middle East have said European critics are showing bias and hypocrisy when they condemn Qatar. Observers agree that Qatar has had to deal with more criticism than usual for a World Cup host. Cathrin Schaer and Emad Hassan ask why
By Cathrin Schaer, Emad Hassan
COVID-19, COP27 and World Cup 2022

Crisis management in the Arab world

November 2022 sees the Arab world firmly in the spotlight with the COP27 in Egypt and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Public trust in MENA governments is weak, thanks to their miserable record in protecting citizens’ rights, which leaves nations ill-equipped to handle complex crises like climate change or COVID-19. By Jan Voelkel
By Jan Voelkel
Extortion and intimidation in Swat Valley

Pakistan Taliban racketeering hits borderlands

A lawmaker in Pakistan's rugged northwest was sipping tea with voters when his phone chirped to life – the Taliban were calling with a demand for 'donations'. "We hope you won't disappoint" read the chilling text from a shady go-between of the Pakistan chapter of the Islamists, known as Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
Hypocrisy and human rights

Qatar World Cup and Western double standards

Ayman Mohyeldin from MSNBC asks: Is this truly about human rights, or is it that Western pundits can’t stomach the idea that an Arab Middle East country is hosting the World Cup?
Turkey

20 years of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP

On 3 November 2002, Erdogan's newly founded AKP, Justice and Development Party, came to power in Turkey. It has ruled the country ever since, becoming more authoritarian with each victory. By Elmas Topcu
By Elmas Topcu
Asef Bayat on the Iran protests

"A movement to reclaim life"

For seven weeks, Iran has been rocked by protests not seen since the Islamic Republic’s inception. This interview with sociologist Asef Bayat, originally conducted in Persian, examines how this latest wave of unrest differs and asks what has changed in Iranian society
UN climate summit in Egypt

Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's greenwashing fail

COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh is turning into a PR disaster for Egypt’s military regime. Instead of praise for the host, the news is full of solidarity for imprisoned activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and criticism of the event’s grotesque surveillance measures. By Sofian Philip Naceur
By Sofian Philip Naceur
Iran

GIGA: Iran’s uprisings: A feminist foreign policy approach

The current uprisings in Iran following the death in police custody of Mahsa Jhina Amini, a young Kurdish woman, carry strong implications for states that have adopted a “feminist foreign policy” (FFP).