Politics

Middle East

In Iraq, sectarian prejudice goes beyond the grave

The "Islamic State" group is gone, but many of their Iraqi victims are still missing. They may well be buried in mass graves the extremists left. But critics say exhumations are too slow, and possibly politically biased. By Judit Neurink
By Judit Neurink
Iraq bans contact with Israel

Anti-Semitism as state doctrine?

A law has been passed by the Iraqi parliament that criminalises any contact with Israel. In the midst of heated debates on the subject, one crucial aspect has been forgotten: the restitution of Jewish property. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
By Birgit Svensson
Siemens wins major contract in Egypt

High speed up the Nile valley

It is the biggest order in the history of the Siemens Group: a 2,000-kilometre railway network for high-speed trains is to be built in Egypt. But the project raises numerous questions. By Karim El Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
Iran and the Ukraine war

Ali Khamenei prepares for the future

The Ukraine war is changing the global geopolitical landscape. Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful man, is already cosying up to Russia in anticipation of a harsh post-war reality. By Ali Sadrzadeh
By Ali Sadrzadeh
Middle East oil states

Surging energy prices likely to de-rail reforms?

The Ukraine war has seen energy prices spike with oil producers in the Middle East making more money than ever. But will it put the brakes on long-planned reforms to diversify oil-reliant economies in the region? By Cathrin Schaer
By Cathrin Schaer
Egypt's food crisis

Wheat from the desert?

The lack of grain supplies from Ukraine is forcing Egypt to act. Now even the Toshka project is being revived to grow grain in the desert. Birgit Svensson travelled to see it
By Birgit Svensson
Protests in Iran

Spiralling food prices fuel unrest

Since the government cut subsidies for food, prices in Iran have skyrocketed. Protests that broke out in Khuzestan province are now spreading across the Islamic Republic. By Sepehr Lorestani
By Sepehr Lorestani
Public opinion in Turkey

Dreaming of a greater republic

Many Turks are dissatisfied with the international status of their country. At the same time, opinion polls reveal great scepticism among the Turkish population towards the USA. By Ronald Meinardus
By Ronald Meinardus
Egyptian army and the Muslim Brotherhood

Competitors in common

Sara Tonsy’s latest book "The Egyptian Army and the Muslim Brotherhood: Contemporary Political Power Dynamics" examines the long-standing rivalry between these two highly influential factions. In interview with Tugrul von Mende she focuses on the relationship between them and what it means for Egyptian society
By Tugrul von Mende
UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan

Iran and Islamists a threat to Gulf safe haven

United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on 14 May, has led a realignment of the Middle East, creating a new anti-Iran axis with Israel while fighting a rising tide of political Islam in the region
Kais Saied's creeping coup

Who will save Tunisia's democracy now?

Tunisia's president has been carrying out a coup by degrees, demolishing the country's hard-fought democratic gains bit by bit. With an economy in turmoil and a splintered opposition, is there anybody that can stop him?
By Cathrin Schaer & Tarak Guizani & Soumaya Marzouki
Ukraine war

Iran – at Putin's beck and call?

While Russia's watershed invasion of Ukraine has up-ended long-established European foreign and security policy paradigms, it also poses significant security challenges for countries throughout Eurasia and beyond. As Ali Fathollah-Nejad writes, Iran is by no means immune to the geopolitical changes underway
By Ali Fathollah-Nejad