Politics

The world according to Mohammed bin Salman

Prove your loyalty, Saudis – deny reality

Saudi Arabia first denied the Khashoggi murder and then blamed it on rogue security agents. Neither version has enjoyed much credibility, but the ability to make the population repeat incredible claims is itself a form of power for Arab autocrats, argues Hannes Baumann
By Hannes Baumann
IS fighters in Iraqi prisons

The next terror generation?

Numerous former IS junior fighters are now serving long prison sentences in Iraqi prisons. There they continue to radicalise themselves. The Dutch author and journalist Judit Neurink visited a juvenile detention centre in Erbil
By Judit Neurink
Middle East economies

Treading the trade war tightrope

Trumpʹs latest campaign to put pressure on China, with the option of raising existing trade tariffs of 10% to 25% by year-end, is just part of an escalating trade war between two super economic powers that could have disastrous effects – with the fragile Middle East destined to feel the pinch. By Stasa Salacanin
By Stasa Salacanin
Murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Donald Trump's ersatz reality

The gruesome killing of former Saudi government advisor and journalist Jamal Khashoggi will not lead to dissociation with Saudi Arabia, says Stefan Buchen in his essay. After all, the most powerful man in the West is Donald Trump, one of the murdererʹs best friends
By Stefan Buchen
Interview with Middle East expert Guido Steinberg

No one wants conflict with Saudi Arabia

Even though the case of the disappeared Saudi journalist Khashoggi weighs heavily, no government is prepared to risk open conflict with the Saudis. Meanwhile, the concerns of dissidents who have fled their authoritarian countries of origin to the West are growing. By Diana Hodali
By Diana Hodali
Interview with political scientists Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel

The West's "intellectually lazy" obsession with sectarianism

Danny Postel and Nader Hashemi warn in this interview with Emran Feroz against the tendency in Western media and policy circles to view Middle Eastern politics in essentialist sectarian terms. "Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East", their recent collection of essays, examines the topic in depth
By Emran Feroz
Western diplomacy in crisis

What to do about Khashoggi?

The abduction or even murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi would constitute a dangerous escalation in the Saudi government's campaign to clamp down on its critics. According to Guido Steinberg, the West should react with as much determination as it did towards Moscow following events in Salisbury
By Guido Steinberg
Essebsi breaks with Ennahda

Farewell to Tunisia's "national consensus"

The decision by Caid Essebsi to end five years of consensus politics is likely to heighten sociopolitical tensions in the North African state and deepen a burgeoning economic crisis. Tunisian journalist Ismail Dbara analyses the reasons for the break-up and the consequences for democratisation within the country
By Ismail Dbara
Germany’s right-wing populists found Jewish group

Jews – the AfDʹs means to an end

The AfD, more known for its anti-Semitism, is looking to attract Jews. In his commentary, Armin Langer writes that Jews in Germany should distance themselves from right-wing populists and instead strive to ally themselves with other threatened minorities
By Armin Langer
Creeping authoritarianism

Turkeyʹs one man band

In June, Recep Tayyip Erdogan became head of state in Turkeyʹs new presidential system, which grants him enormous powers. But the country is in the midst of a veritable economic crisis. Erdogan has his back against the wall. An analysis by Timur Tinc
By Timur Tinç
Internecine struggles

Libyaʹs free for all

Libya is today the scene of political chaos that is difficult to fathom from the outside. Two governments, one in the west and one in the east, are fighting for supremacy. And even within the power blocs there are military conflicts between the different militias. By Karim El-Gawhary
By Karim El-Gawhary
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Winds of change in the Gulf

Ethiopia and Eritrea didn't pen their peace agreement in Addis Ababa or Asmara, but in Saudi Arabia with the Emirates alongside. Are economic and military interests increasingly binding Gulf states and the Horn together? By Sella Oneko
By Sella Oneko