Politics

Facing the Mahdi militias

Iraqi civilians in the firing line

Of all the protests currently in progress around the world, those in Iraq have been the most deadly. But just who exactly is firing on the demonstrators? The question is difficult to answer – and constitutes political dynamite. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
By Birgit Svensson
Foreign academics risk arrest in Iran

Tehran's new hostage policy

Political hostage takings are nothing new in Iran. But the detention of several western academics represents a new dimension. There are grounds for suspecting that hardliners in the judiciary, intelligence service and Revolutionary Guard Corps are intent on scuppering talks to salvage the nuclear accord. By Ulrich von Schwerin
By Ulrich von Schwerin
India and Pakistan

"If Germany can be reunified, so can Kashmir"

Calls for a free Kashmir are becoming louder on both sides of the divided region. Can the German reunification model be applied to the India- and Pakistan-ruled Kashmirs? And what can Kashmiris learn from it? By Shamil Shams
By Shamil Shams
Anti-government protests

Is this Iraq's Arab Spring?

Iraq is currently facing such an alarming array of economic, political and social problems that many observers fear no-one will be up to the task of delivering the much-needed reforms. By Stasa Salacanin
By Stasa Salacanin
A safe haven in northern Syria?

Turkey's plan to 'resettle' Syrian refugees

Turkey is seeking to create a "safe zone" for refugees in Syria, to which they should only return "voluntarily". But how realistic is the project and to what extent can Turkey's intentions be trusted? By Seda Serdar
Unrest in the Arab world

The genie is out of the bottle

The Arab world is one gigantic pressure cooker. For the most part the lid of repression is on, but it is boiling over with increasing frequency. Whether in Lebanon, Iraq or in Algeria, where people are rising up against political despotism and corruption. By Karim El-Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
Democracy and human rights

Morocco's police state makes a comeback

Morocco's rule of law, human rights and freedom of the press are under attack. According to political scientist Mohamed Taifouri, although the 2011 constitution includes a large number of freedoms, the state repression that was thought to have been overcome is making a comeback
By Mohamed Taifouri
Middle East

Lebanon's protesters are here to stay

Demonstrators in Lebanon have been taking to the streets for days demanding the resignation of the government. So far, the government has offered little to pacify the people. How long can this go on? Diana Hodali reports
By Diana Hodali
Turkish incursion into northern Syria

You reap what you sow

Many Turks, at home and abroad, feel misunderstood. The Syrian offensive is intended to ease matters and does not constitute ethnic cleansing, they claim. They also say there is no racism in Turkey. This is a misrepresentation of the situation, says Tayfun Guttstadt in his contribution to the debate
By Tayfun Guttstadt
Turkey isolated amid international pressure

Erdogan's captive audience

Most Turkish citizens approve – to a greater or lesser extent – of their countryˈs incursion into Syria and are deeply irritated by the Westˈs apparent incomprehension of the situation on Turkeyˈs southern border. By Ayse Karabat
By Ayşe Karabat
Political crisis in Lebanon

Time is running out for Saad Hariri

In Lebanon, protests continue against the government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri has already lost a coalition partner. His power appears to be eroding. Diana Hodali reports from Beirut
By Diana Hodali
Turkey's Syria offensive

Burying the Kurdish autonomy project

When the Kurds of Syria came under Turkish fire less than ten days ago, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was left with no choice but to call on Assad for help. Thus ends a political project that many hailed as a model for the future order of Syria. But, as Ulrich von Schwerin points out, it was a project built on very shaky foundations
By Ulrich von Schwerin