Politics

Assad's rehabilitation

At the expense of the Syrian people

A number of Arab League member states have announced in recent weeks that they intend resuming relations with the Syrian regime. A potential invitation to the Arab League summit in Algeria in March was even on the table, but the conference has since been postponed. By Bente Scheller
By Bente Scheller
UAE foreign policy rethink

Is dialogue replacing proxy politics?

The UAE is revisiting its foreign policy goals with the aim of boosting its global trade partnerships and ensuring its security and political stability, by replacing robust military intervention and proxy politics with dialogue and diplomacy. By Mohammad Barhouma
By Mohammad Barhouma
India state elections

India's BJP revives Hindu-Muslim dispute

Hindu monk and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, up for re-election in key state polls next month, has turned his attention to a revered religious site in Mathura, situated next to a mosque, suggesting he will champion the Hindu cause in a long-running dispute with Muslims over who owns the site
Sudan's popular resistance

The revolution will succeed

The struggle for civilian rule in Sudan is ongoing. Neighbourhood "resistance committees" are the driving force behind ongoing protests against the now-ruling military junta. Operating at a local, decentralised level, they have begun bundling their forces and coordinating nationally, with the aim of playing a role at the political level. Eduard Cousin reports for Qantara.de from Khartoum
By Eduard Cousin
Egypt, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and democracy

"You have not yet been defeated"

Alaa Abd el-Fattah, arguably Egypt’s most prominent democracy activist, has just been handed another lengthy prison sentence. Despite this, a book of his writing has recently been published. It reveals the former Tahrir Square activist as a reflective, left-wing intellectual. Jannis Hagmann read the book
By Jannis Hagmann
Modi's India

Authoritation pseudo-democracy in the making?

India is generally considered to be the world’s largest democracy. As civic freedoms are being eroded, international experts now consider it seriously under threat. By Mira Mandal
By Mira Mandal
Arabic Network for Human Rights

Egypt's leading rights group forced to close

A prominent rights group in Egypt, the Arabic Network for Human Rights, is ending operations just as the country braces for a controversial NGO law. Is this the beginning of the end for civil society in Egypt? By Jennifer Holleis
By Jennifer Holleis
Syria torture trial

Anwar Raslan: "No small cog in the wheel"

Life imprisonment for crimes against humanity: that was the sentence handed down to Anwar Raslan in the world's first trial of a member of the Syrian torture system. Matthias von Hein reports
By Matthias von Hein
Protests in Kazakhstan

Putin's nightmare?

Russia is seeking to shore up the government of Kazakhstan and is sending in the military. For President Putin, there is more at stake than simply his influence in a partner country that is currently being rocked by unrest. By Roman Goncharenko, Emily Sherwin and Olga Sosnytska
By Roman Goncharenko, Emily Sherwin, Olga Sosnytska
Interview with Asef Bayat

Examining the Arab Spring revolutions from within

Asef Bayat, professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has been studying revolutions and how they affect people since 1979. In his recent book, "Revolutionary Life: The Everyday of the Arab Spring", Bayat takes a new approach to studying revolutions by focusing on how they affect citizens in their everyday lives. Tugrul von Mende spoke to him about how his understanding of revolutions has changed over the past 20 years
By Tugrul von Mende
The Gulf

Bahrain – where human rights don’t count

The catastrophic human rights situation in Bahrain is being largely ignored by the rest of the world. Despite all the damning evidence, which includes a Human Rights Watch report, the West is unlikely to apply any pressure on the regime due to geostrategic interests. By Diana Hodali
By Diana Hodali
Iranian economy

The causes of Iran's economic woes

Talks to salvage the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal have entered their eighth round in Vienna. Even if a deal is struck and some of the sanctions are lifted, the state of the Iranian economy is such that there can be little hope that any relief provided by a revived agreement will trickle down to the general population. By Ali Fathollah-Nejad
By Ali Fathollah-Nejad