Politics

Germany's arms exports controversy

When doves cry

The embargo on arms exports to countries involved in the conflict in Yemen recently agreed by Germany's two biggest political parties must be maintained and underpinned by binding criteria in a law on arms exports, writes Markus Bickel
By Markus Bickel
Czech President Milos Zeman′s re-election

Europe's fearmonger

The Czech Republic has once again elected Milos Zeman as president, a leader who applauds Donald Trump's ban on Muslims entering the USA and who sees himself as a prophet warning against immigration and an imagined Islamic threat. By Farid Hafez
By Farid Hafez
Turkey’s Afrin offensive

Wrong, but not unjustified

Although the presence of an armed group on Turkey′s border – especially one allied to the PKK – was inevitably going to be perceived as a threat, Ankara′s Afrin offensive has been given short shrift in Germany. Commentary by Ulrich von Schwerin
By Ulrich von Schwerin
Lessons from the unrest in Tunisia

Free in name only

Although the protests in Tunisia are gradually dying down, the country′s political class still finds itself confronted with dissatisfaction from large sections of the population. Alongside political freedoms, the government now also needs to keep the social promises of 2011, says Tunisian journalist Ismael Dbara
By Ismail Dbara
Turkey′s incursion into Syria

The Kurdish quagmire

The last thing the conflict in Syria needed was more external intrusion and the opening of another front. Turkey′s Afrin offensive has provided both. Once again, the Western powers and Russia have managed to foster a dangerous escalation. Commentary by Tom Stevenson
By Tom Stevenson
Trump's Pakistan outburst

Reckless tweets vs. democratic hopes

Pakistan′s slow progress towards developing a stable and inclusive political system faced new challenges in the second half of 2017 – now Donald Trump's tweets could make matters worse. If Pakistan continues to falter in 2018, the consequences will be felt across South Asia and the broader Muslim world. By Shahid Javed Burki
By Shahid Javed Burki
U.S. policy on the Middle East

The imperial reflex

The United States believes it can enforce the policy of sanctions it has directed against Iran on the rest of the world as well. In no third country are the possible implications as grave as in Turkey, says Stefan Buchen in his analysis
By Stefan Buchen
Non-fiction: Safwan M. Masri′s ″Tunisia – An Arab anomaly″

A history of intellectual excellence

Tunisia stands out as the only democracy among Arab countries. Why it has managed the transformation from autocratic rule after the Arab Spring has deep roots that go back centuries, argues Safwan M. Masri. Hans Dembowski read the book
By Hans Dembowski
Social unrest in Tunisia

You′re on your own

Strip away the friendly overtures made by various European countries towards Tunisia and you’ll find nothing more than exploitation and non-reciprocation. How else to explain their failure to step in as the North African state slides inexorably towards poverty? Commentary by Bachir Amroune
By Bachir Amroune
Protests rock Tunisia

A winter of discontent

Despite general frustration over economic hardships and the unfulfilled promises of the Arab Spring’s only success story, the revolutionary momentum that gripped Tunisia in 2011 has not waned seven years later. Tunisians seem intent on preserving the spirit of the revolution: bread, freedom and national dignity. By Houda Mzioudet
By Houda Mzioudet
Protests in Iran

No revolution in sight

Forty years after the start of the Islamic Revolution, Iran is once again convulsed with protests. Many of the economic problems facing the country today resemble those in the 1970s, and the regime appears to be scarcely less repressive and ossified than it was back then. Nevertheless, the current protests are unlikely to be the beginning of a new revolution, says Ulrich von Schwerin
By Ulrich von Schwerin
Presidential election in Egypt

Gearing up for re-election

Earlier this week, Egypt's National Election Authority announced that the country will go to the polls on 26–28 March to elect its president. Although Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has not yet announced that he will run, his re-election seems like a foregone conclusion. And while a number of other serious candidates intended to stand, it looks as if the field is thinning. By Bachir Amroune
By Bachir Amroune