Politics

Presidential election aftermath in Iran

Rouhani, take note!

With the latest presidential election result, Iranians have sent a clear message across the nation and to the world at large. Their voices should be heeded, writes Ali Sadrzadeh in his commentary
By Ali Sadrzadeh
Middle East peace process

Playing the Trump card?

Fond of boasting about his deal-making capabilities, U.S. president Donald Trump has oozed confidence in the run-up to his visit to Israel and the Occupied Territories. Whether he will prove a mediating or an alienating influence remains to be seen. By Ylenia Gostoli
By Ylenia Gostoli
Economic policy in Iran

Rouhani′s inevitable failure

Four years ago, Hassan Rouhani assumed the Iranian presidency on the back of a campaign pledge to alleviate Iran′s economic hardship by striving for the removal of sanctions. Yet the looked-for up-turn has yet to materialise. An issue, argues Ali Fathollah-Nejad, that is bound to play into the hands of the arch-conservative opposition
By Ali Fathollah-Nejad
From El Kamour to Carthage: #We will Not Recoil#

Rebels with a cause

Regarded since the Arab Spring as the one country that successfully transitioned from dictatorship to democracy, Tunisia is now feeling the consequences of a failure to invest in its people and its economy. The fact that the system is still riddled with corruption simply adds more grist to the people′s mill. By Houda Mzioudet
By Houda Mzioudet
Assad's crimes tried in German courts?

Hoping for justice

German public prosecutors in Karlsruhe are acting surprisingly fast to interview Syrian victims who have filed criminal charges against members of the Syrian intelligence agency in Damascus. Specific investigations and international arrest warrants could follow. By Kristin Helberg
By Kristin Helberg
Trump, Abbas and the Middle East conflict

Rose-tinted posturing

Since Trump′s inauguration there has been plenty of contact between the White House and stakeholders in the Middle East. Achieving the ′big ultimate deal′, however, will take more than cosy platitudes. Commentary by Alaa Tartir
By Alaa Tartir
Saudi military involvement in Yemen

Chronically insecure

Saudi Arabia began its military offensive against its neighbour to the south in 2015, ostensibly to reinstate Yemen′s deposed president. Instead the war has driven the poorest country in the region to the brink of famine. By Maysam Behravesh
By Maysam Behravesh
Bahrain′s slide towards military rule

Tightening the noose

The outright militarisation of the security apparatus has infected more and more sectors of Bahraini society. In fact, it's now even been written into the country′s constitution. Report by Husain Abdulla
By Husain Abdulla
Saudi domestic policy

Salman the Powerful

The power concentration of recent years continues in Saudi Arabia. The winner is the Salman branch of the royal family, which is systematically extending its political influence. But bearing in mind the planned economic reforms, the family is running a high risk. By Matthias Sailer
By Matthias Sailer
Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike

Raising the stakes

Palestinian prisoners in Israel have launched a collective hunger strike. The imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is thus returning to the political stage. Inge Gunther in Jerusalem has the details
By Inge Günther
Islam, Al-Azhar and the terrorists′ ideology

If the cap fits

Whenever a country is the target of a terrorist attack, the issue of whether the perpetrators were linked to Islam rears its head. As Assem Hefny argues, questions regarding the relationship between Egypt′s Al-Azhar mosque and university, terrorism and ideological extremism – though hurtful – should not be dismissed out of hand
By Assem Hefny
Parliamentary elections in Algeria

It's hardly democracy

The parliamentary elections in Algeria on 4 May 2017 mark a political watershed. Even though the outcome of the elections is not expected to hold any big surprises, this time the regime’s credibility really is on the line. By Isabel Schafer
By Isabel Schäfer