Politics

Re-assessing Western involvement in the Middle East

Far from Utopian

A reconfiguration of relations between the West and the Arab world is in the offing. Utopia it will not be, but it may result in a more harmonious and balanced political situation, writes BBC radio journalist and Middle East expert Neville Teller
By Neville Teller
Berlin Christmas market attack

Countering the horror

Fear and terror spread far more easily if terrorists succeed in generating general mistrust in our society: mistrust of security forces; mistrust of our state; mistrust of our media; mistrust of anyone who is different to ourselves; mistrust of minorities. Commentary by Ruprecht Polenz
By Ruprecht Polenz
Sisi's Egyptian crisis

″Where are the youth?″

Back in early 2011, there was a spark of hope. The entire international community appreciated the Arab Spring uprisings, which were driven by young people demanding change in Egypt and other Arab countries. It seemed that everything was going to be fine. Six years later, a sense of gloom prevails in Egypt. By Basma El-Mahdy
By Basma El-Mahdy
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