Politics

Interview with Indonesian cleric Yahya Cholil Staquf

"We must want peace"

Yahya Cholil Staquf is a prominent Muslim cleric and secretary-general of the world's largest Islamic organisation, Indonesia's Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which has 60 million members. After visiting Israel and meeting with PM Netanyahu, he was heavily criticised at home. In this interview, conducted by Rizki Nugraha, he explains that his agenda was to approach peace movements and to strengthen the aspirations for peace within Israeli society
By Rizki Nugraha
Radicalisation in European cities

Hotbeds of anger and resentment

According to sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar, one of the significant factors of jihadist radicalisation in Europe is a type of city district he describes as the "jihadogenous urban structure". This type of urban structure shapes the identity of those who are socially excluded and culturally stigmatised
By Farhard Khosrokhavar
Parliamentary elections in Pakistan

Who will prevail?

What's at stake in Pakistan's upcoming parliamentary elections? Should the West be concerned about a possible military-backed government and its impact on Afghanistan's security and South Asia's geopolitics? An analysis by Shamil Shams
By Shamil Shams
A nuclear Middle East

Arab states court the atom

With more instability likely in the near future, the incentives for maintaining or acquiring nuclear weapons in the Middle East are destined to increase. One thing remains clear, however: as long as Israel is excluded, the objective of total nuclear disarmament in the region will never be achieved, writes Israel Rafalovich
By Israel Rafalovich
Egypt's economic disarray

Whether to topple President Sisi...

Five years after protests and a coup brought then-President Mohammed Morsi to his knees, Egypt is experiencing its sharpest rise in living costs. Is the country on the brink once again? Farid Farid reports from Cairo
By Farid Farid
Verdict in neo-Nazi NSU trial

The shredding of Germanyʹs democracy

For those of us with a migrant background, the recent NSU trial verdict does not put the matter to rest. We are still left fearing for our lives in this country, says Sheila Mysorekar in her commentary
By Sheila Mysorekar
The demise of Daraa, former rebel stronghold

At the mercy of Assadʹs troops

While Berlin was contemplating secure borders, the Syrian regime embarked on its next campaign to exacerbate the suffering of refugees. To Syriaʹs President Bashar al-Assad, they are nothing more than a weapon. By Bente Scheller
By Bente Scheller
Moroccoʹs sentencing of Nasser Zefzafi

When civil liberties contract

The sentencing of a prominent opposition activist to jail long-term has shaken critics of Moroccoʹs government. Activists and analysts alike warn of ill omens for the countryʹs political trajectory. By Tom Stevenson
By Tom Stevenson
Turkeyʹs new constitution

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, twenty-first century Sultan

Turkey's new presidential system officially came into force on Monday, giving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan powers that no democratically elected leader of Turkey has ever had. The inauguration was preceded by another mass purge of the civil service. By Aram Ekin Duran
By Aram Ekin Duran
Interview with Palestinian human rights activist Mahmoud Abu Rahma

"We are alive, but we donʹt have a life"

Palestinians losing their lives in protests at the Gaza border fence has refocussed attention on the misery of life in the Strip. A renewed risk of military escalation, however, means proposals to raise the Gaza blockade are again on ice. Inge Guenther talks to Mahmoud Abu Rahma, International Relations Director with Al Mezan
By Inge Günther
Iran and the West

Big little Satan

Iranʹs dangerously powerful image among its adversaries in the region reflects not only the decline of the USA, but also the Islamic Republicʹs success at eluding Western influence since 1979. By Charlotte Wiedemann
By Charlotte Wiedemann
Iraqʹs wrangle over natural resources

The battle for Kurdish oil

Tensions between Iraqi federal government and the Kurds centres around a long-running dispute over the countryʹs oil revenues. While Baghdad denies Kurdistanʹs right to conclude production contracts without prior central government approval, the Kurdistan Regional Government claims this as a constitutional right. By Stasa Salacanin
By Stasa Salacanin