Politics

Reporting on Palestine

Germany cannot imagine the suffering in Gaza

For some, the widespread publication of images of starving children from Gaza is a sign of a major shift in the German political and media discourse. Palestinian journalist Asmaa al-Ghoul disagrees.
By Asmaa al-Ghoul
Transitional justice in Syria

"Accountability is more important than punishment"

Can there be justice after the horrors Syria has endured? Sociologist Mohammed Bamyeh sees signs that the country's new leadership wants to confront the past, but warns against the dangers of selective justice.
By Morgane Llanque
New biography of Ali Khamenei

The man pulling Iran's strings

Ali Khamenei is one of the most powerful figures in world politics, with influence extending far beyond Iran. Who is the man who, since 1989, has steered the Islamic Republic with an iron grip? A new biography by Ali Sadrzadeh sheds some light on the mystery.
By Gerrit Wustmann
Stateless in Syria

Will al-Sharaa naturalise foreign fighters and their children?

Thousands of children born to foreign militia members and Syrian mothers remain stateless. As the government considers granting citizenship to fighters, their families—including the widows of deceased fighters—wait for clarity.
By Mayar Mohanna
Political Islam in Jordan

What's next for the Muslim Brotherhood?

An official ban on the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan has brought the movement to a critical crossroads. Its political arm is struggling to preserve its platform and avoid the fate of its counterparts in Egypt and Tunisia.
By Mahmoud El Tabakh
Öcalan's call for disarmament

Why the PKK failed

The Kurdistan Workers' Party has pursued multiple goals over the decades and failed to achieve any of them. Now the communist-nationalist movement is facing a turning point, and possibly its end
By Haleh Hosseini Ramandi
German foreign policy

Hunger in Gaza—made in Germany

Starving children in Gaza, growing criticism in Germany and political leverage that remains unused. Berlin must not stand idly by and watch this atrocious catastrophe unfold.
By Jannis Hagmann
Suwayda, Syria

Not a local conflict, but geopolitics in disguise

Sectarianism in Syria is a longstanding political project. Institutionalised under colonial rule and exploited by Assad, it's now being weaponised by the new regime and Israel, as the massacres in Suwayda make brutally clear.
By Maria Kastrinou, Salam Said
Syria after Assad

Al-Sharaa and the global jihad

Jihadist groups around the world are watching Syria's transitional government closely. Al-Sharaa's takeover and moderate strategy are inspiring for some, while others see his pragmatism as a betrayal and opt for violence.
By Asiem El Difraoui
Gaza

Caught between starvation and deadly aid centres

In Gaza, survival now means facing not only bombs but also starvation. As some Palestinians risk their lives to receive aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, others turn to desperate measures to feed their children.
By Doaa Shaheen
Morocco-Algeria arms race

"The solution requires political courage"

Tensions between Morocco and Algeria are fuelling a frantic arms race. Moroccan researcher Hicham Mouatadid traces the roots of the rivalry and calls for a solution that goes beyond the Western Sahara conflict to address regional security as a whole.
By Mohamed Ben Rajeb
Lebanese Civil War

The postwar that never was

Fifty years since its outbreak, Lebanon's Civil War continues to shape its society and political system. The postwar era has been marked by violence, foreign occupation, political paralysis and economic crisis—raising the question: did the war ever truly end?
By Elia Ayoub