Politics

Putin, Assad and the fall of Aleppo

Masters of disinformation

While the attention of the world is focused on events in Aleppo, Assad and his allies are talking about the "liberation" of the city. Some believe him, left wing anti-imperialists for example. By Emran Feroz
By Emran Feroz
Myanmar and the Rohingya

Is Saudi Wahhabism fuelling an insurgency?

In interview with Shamil Shams, ICG's Tim Johnston claims that the Rohingya insurgency is linked to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but that the motivating force is not so much jihadist ideology as anger at the treatment of Rohingya in Myanmar
By Shamil Shams
The Syrian conflict

Priority revenge

The question is often asked what an Islamist rebel victory might mean for Syria's minorities. But what about the acts of revenge that are to be expected from Bashar al-Assad? A commentary by Bente Scheller
By Bente Scheller
Christians in Iraq

Between the fronts

With the Mosul offensive having freed many Christian communities from the clutches of IS, there is undeniably cause for celebration. And yet the position of Iraq′s Christians remains precarious. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
By Birgit Svensson
Middle East policy under Donald Trump

Return of the dictators

Just how the Trump administration will handle the thorny issue of the Middle East remains to be seen. Trump's policy of non-intervention and "pragmatic" alliances with authoritarian rulers is, however, likely to encourage the return of repressive dictatorships, lending them apparent respectability in exchange for guarantees of stability. By Rene Wildangel
By René Wildangel
Military force and drone warfare

Post-truth victims

During the Obama era, the world witnessed what could be referred to as the 'dronification' of killing. Gone are combatant status, war goals and the option of negotiation. No prisoners are taken; people are just killed and anyone who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just gets killed along with them. By Charlotte Wiedemann
By Charlotte Wiedemann
Charges against Bashar al-Assad

His turn will come

Six German lawyers are bringing a case against Syrian leader Assad for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It may sound naive, but it is a long-overdue step in international law enforcement – and Germany is the perfect venue. By Kristin Helberg
By Kristin Helberg
Syrian conflict

The price of acceptance

Allied to the Assad regime in the Syrian conflict, Iran has been luring its Afghan refugee population to sign up for the war with promises of high wages and residence permits for their families. By Shabnam von Hein
Libya′s domestic crisis

On the road to nowhere

Libya′s domestic crisis, which has been rumbling on since the outbreak of civil war in the summer of 2014, has peaked this year. With a gamut of issues – political, social, security and financial – confronting the country, Libya is more divided than ever. Houda Mzioudet writes from Tunis
By Houda Mzioudet
Interview with Sihem Bensedrine

"We mustn't forget what happened!"

Tens of thousands of people who suffered at the hands of Ben Ali's dictatorship have made submissions for compensation to the Tunisian Truth and Dignity Commission. The first public hearings were held in mid November. Sarah Mersch spoke to Sihem Bensedrine, president of the commission
By Sarah Mersch
Turkey′s EU accession negotiations

The big freeze

With Turkey maintaining an ever greater distance from the European Union, the EU needs to reconsider its options. Analysis by Nassir Djafari
By Nassir Djafari
Guest columnist Ilja Trojanow

It′s not a black and white world!

Viewing the world in absolute terms only serves to encourage propaganda and make simplistic scenarios seem like real solutions. The current public discourse on the refugee crisis is like a piece of political satire, says Ilija Trojanow
By Ilija Trojanow