Politics
Topics
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10 years of war in Syria
Razan Zeitouneh – the missing face of Syria's revolution
Razan Zeitouneh fought for justice in Syria and made enemies on all sides. Then she disappeared without a trace. Her fate remains unknown to this day. On the tenth anniversary of the revolution, Lewis Sanders, Birgitta Schulke-Gill, Wafaa Al Badry and Julia Bayer look back on her life
By Lewis Sanders & Birgitta Schülke-Gill & Wafaa Al Badry & Julia Bayer -
India and the farmers' protests
Solidarity mounts against Narendra Modi's BJP
The farmers' protests in India show no signs of abating – despite repressive measures. Government attempts to stigmatise the farmers have only prompted sections of the urban middle class to support the uprising. And the boundaries between the different religious identities, repeatedly invoked by the Hindu nationalists in the ruling party BJP, also appear to be softening. By Dominik Muller
By Dominik Müller -
Interview with Georgian historian Beka Kobakhidze
Europe risks being outmanoeuvred in the restive Caucasus
The balance of power on Europe's eastern borders is shifting. Georgian historian Beka Kobakhidze speaks from Tbilisi about rivalry and emerging alliances in the region, an impotent EU and disappointed pro-democracy activists. Interview by Elisa Rheinheimer-Chabbi
By Elisa Rheinheimer -
The generals, the Buddhists and the Rohingya
Myanmar's Gen Z – "You messed with the wrong generation"
Protests against the 1 February military coup, which ousted Aun San Suu Kyi, continue in Myanmar despite an increasingly brutal crackdown. At the same time there are signs that widespread public resentment against the country's Muslim Rohingya minority may be softening. Dominik Muller reports
By Dominik Müller -
The papal visit to Iraq
The blessing of Pope Francis – "Salaam, salaam, salaam"
The Pope’s journey to the "land between the rivers": places of terror and a dialogue to promote hope and optimism. His meeting with Shia Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was a milestone in the history of Christian-Islamic dialogue. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
By Birgit Svensson -
From failed state to fragile state?
Somalia and the rocky road towards greater stability
With elections on the horizon and an altered African Union mission, Somalia was meant to enter a new phase of stabilisation in 2021. But both have been postponed, and the present government seems ill-equipped to shoulder the country's considerable challenges. It is time for external stakeholders to name their terms, says Annette Weber
By Annette Weber -
The politics of the Pope in Iraq
Pope Francis and Ayatollah al-Sistani, meeting in faith
When Pope Francis sets foot in Iraq, he will be breaking historic ground while manoeuvring religious and political minefields. So will his foremost religious counterpart, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the Shia Muslim world’s foremost scholars and leaders. By James M. Dorsey
By James M. Dorsey -
MEP Dietmar Koester on Fortress Europe
"The EU allows human rights to be trampled underfoot"
EU parliamentarian Dietmar Koester criticises the Union's failure to speak up when faced with human rights abuses committed by its Middle Eastern allies, while pointing out that its own isolationist migration policies contravene fundamental European values. Interview by Ismail Azzam
By Ismail Azzam -
Joe Biden and U.S. policy on Turkey
No more special privileges for Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The foreign policy direction favoured by Washington's new incumbent is putting a strain on relations with Turkey. The two nations look set to clash over a whole host of issues, from human rights concerns to the S 400 Russian missile system, Ronald Meinardus writes in his analysis for Qantara.de
By Ronald Meinardus -
Syria torture trial in Koblenz
German court sends message on Syrian war crimes
The verdict of a court in western Germany is the first step toward justice in Syria. It also paves the way for verdicts in war crime trials worldwide, writes DW's Matthias von Hein
By Matthias von Hein -
Sectarian strife in Pakistan
Syria's proxy war widens gulf between Sunnis and Shias
After a period of relative calm, the conflict in Syria is reigniting the tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Pakistan: groups from both sects are involved in the clashes in Syria. The authorities fear a new wave of sectarian violence. Background by Mohammad Luqman
By Mohammad Luqman -
Podcast on the Hanau terrorist attack one year on
"From 1990 to 2020 Germany's far right killed about 200 people"
On 19 February 2020, a right-wing terrorist murdered nine people in the German city of Hanau: Gokhan Gultekin, Sedat Gurbuz, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Hamza Kurtovic, Vili Viorel Paun, Fatih Saracoglu, Ferhat Unvar und Kaloyan Velkov. Journalists Sham Jaff and Aline Jabarine talk to Schayan Riaz about the ongoing search for answers
By Schayan Riaz
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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Sex tourism in Egypt
A bride for the summer
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Atheism in the Arab world
Moroccoʹs atheists find a home on the Internet
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Interview with Israeli philosopher Omri Boehm
The Haifa Republic – full equality for Middle East peace
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Aicha 'Lella Saida' Manoubiya
Tunisia's feminist icon
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Women's rights in Saudi Arabia
Aisha al-Mana – the first woman to drive a car in Riyadh