Politics

Non-fiction: Sebastian Sons′ ″Auf Sand gebaut″

Saudi Arabia – a difficult ally

Saudi Arabia is an important, but controversial partner of western countries. Sebastian Sons, an expert on the country with the DGAP (Germany's Council on Foreign Relations), assesses the country’s mindset, its political problems and how western governments should engage its leaders. By Sabine Balk
By Sabine Balk
Erdogan and Turkish foreign policy

Neo-Ottoman rumblings

In the past few months Turkish President Erdogan has repeatedly called the borders of Turkey into question and implicitly laid claim to neighbouring territories. While such statements are mainly aimed at his own citizens, the neighbouring states are getting nervous, particularly now that Erdogan has dispatched troops to Syria and Iraq. By Ulrich von Schwerin
By Ulrich von Schwerin
Interview with Iranian dissident Abolhassan Banisadr

Selling the revolution on

Following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, millions of Iranian dissidents were forced to flee the country for fear of reprisals. Prominent among them, Abolhassan Banisadr, the first president of the Islamic Republic. Having fallen out with Khomeini, he left Iran in the summer of 1981. Interview by Mahindokht Mesbah
By Mahindokht Mesbah
Middle East conflict

Empty rhetoric

The West likes to repeat its criticism of Israel's settlement policy but does nothing to put a stop to it. That's why the two-state solution is just empty rhetoric, writes Joseph Croitoru
By Joseph Croitoru
The Syrian revolution

Girding the forces of change

"We will return, Aleppo" says the writing on the walls of the devastated city. These words defy Assad's claim that his regime's military victory is now complete, writes the Syrian dissident Akram al-Bunni
By Akram al-Bunni
Pakistan and the Trump factor

Who pays the piper

The surprise victory of Donald Trump resonated in markets around the world as voters in the USA endorsed his protectionist agenda. Pakistan was no exception. By Afshan Subohi
By Afshan Subohi
RLA winner Mozn Hassan on civil repression in Egypt

″Now′s the time to be creative″

Freedom of the press and freedom of assembly in Egypt have practically ceased to exist. Freedom of speech is under massive pressure – even online. Meanwhile the Egyptian regime is continuing its campaign against civil society with a new law featuring unprecedented measures to control and monitor NGOs. Sofian Philip Naceur talks to the director of the Cairo-based NGO Nazra for Feminist Studies, Mozn Hassan
By Sofian Philip Naceur
The situation post-Aleppo

An orphaned revolution

Russian′s bombing campaign in Syria has helped put an end to Aleppo′s civil democratic experiment, once a beacon of hope. What next? By Leila Al-Shami
By Leila Al-Shami
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