Politics
Topics
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Ebrahim Raisi takes office
The Iranian regime will stop at nothing to ensure survival
Against the backdrop of growing protests over water shortages, Iran's new hardline president took office last week. For ordinary Iranians, a life in fear and repression will continue, writes Azadeh Pourzand
By Azadeh Pourzand -
Death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood members in Egypt
An act of reckoning
Attracting little attention from the world at large, Egypt's military regime has been mercilessly going after dissidents. Now, the first executions of prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood loom. All the while, the true extent of the crackdown remains unknown. By Jannis Hagmann
By Jannis Hagmann -
US withdrawal from Iraq
Not Afghanistan: Why the US and Iraq won't leave one another
While agreeing last week to a withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, neither Iraqi nor US leaders can admit publicly how much they need each other. By Cathrin Schaer
By Cathrin Schaer -
Presidential take-over in Tunisia
Political earthquake in Tunis
Tunisia's President Kaïs Saïed has assumed executive powers in his country in a highly controversial and possibly unconstitutional manner, fuelling fears of an impending authoritarian rollback. Despite strong criticism of his intervention, many still hope for an end to the country's endemic crisis. By Sofian Philip Naceur
By Sofian Philip Naceur -
Erdogan in Cyprus
No movement in the mediation deadlock
On his recent visit to Cyprus, Turkish President Erdogan continued to bang his two-state drum, insisting that this is now the only viable option for the divided island. By announcing the next phase of a plan to partially reopen the coastal resort of Varosha for Turkish Cypriot settlement, he is once again pushing his own agenda. By Ronald Meinardus in Istanbul
By Ronald Meinardus -
Morocco's pre-election crisis of confidence
"People no longer trust us!"
In Morocco, years of patronage politics and favouritism have led to trust dwindling in government, parliament and the country's institutions. Neo-liberal policy-making favours enrichment and corruption, while the state holds a protective hand over the profiteers. Commentary by Moroccan analyst Ali Anouzla
By Ali Anouzla -
Saudi Arabia, football and the Olympics
Making the leap from off-side to big league?
The Saudi national team is set to play the German Olympic squad at the Olympics in Tokyo later this month – a chance for the outsiders to make their mark. At the same time, and keen to buff up the nation's badly tarnished image, the Kingdom is looking to pitch for glory in the multi-million dollar football business. It's a risky strategy. By Sebastian Sons
By Sebastian Sons -
Exclusive: Investigating Syria's civil war
How hardline rebels turned on activist Razan Zeitouneh
The disappearance of Razan Zeitouneh and her colleagues has been one of the greatest mysteries of the Syrian war – until today. DW's investigative unit hunted clues across six countries to track down the perpetrators
By Lewis Sanders IV & Birgitta Schuelke-Gill & Maria Chehadeh -
Erdogan's NATO peace offering
Can Turkish forces tame the Taliban in Afghanistan?
Almost all NATO troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan. Turkey is looking to fill the gap and is offering itself as a new protective power. But the Taliban are sending clear threats in the direction of Ankara. By Hilal Koylu
By Hilal Köylü -
Pimping the parliamentary facade
Narendra Modi's Potemkin democracy
India's prime minister has an "edifice complex" that has given rise to grand new government buildings, including a planned new parliament. Sadly, the spirit of deliberation and debate that animated the old parliament building risks being left there. By Shashi Tharoor
By Shashi Tharoor -
Reuters special report: U.S. enemy and friend of Iran?
Muqtada al-Sadr, the most powerful man in Iraq
Popular support for Muqtada al-Sadr, progeny of the famous Sadr political dynasty, is on the ascendant in Iraq. Leader of the main opposition Shia faction, Sadr is also no stranger to the corridors of power within the country. A man of many facets, dogmatic and pragmatic by turns. By John Davison & Ahmed Rasheed
By John Davison & Ahmed Rasheed -
Cyber disinformation
How dangerous are the Middle East's "electronic armies"?
The Middle East is plagued by electronic armies working at the behest of one regime or another. Long used by those in power as a weapon in the fight against activists and dissidents, such operations can have deadly consequences for those caught in the crosshairs. Cathrin Schaer has the details
By Cathrin Schaer
Most read articles
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Jan Dost on writing in Arabic and Kurdish
"Like being caught between two magnets"
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Syria's missing detainees
"We did not expect so few had survived"
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Sex tourism in Egypt
A bride for the summer
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Stefan Weidner on pre-Islamic poetry
"Poetry in its true fullness"
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TV series "Muawiya"
Historical Ramadan drama fuels controversy
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Sectarian massacre on Syrian coast
"I am the sole survivor of my family"