Politics

Jihadist terrorism in Tunisia

The tragic fate of shepherd boy Mabrouk Soltani

"It′s the first time in the history of Tunisia that the head of a corpse sat in a refrigerator overnight, while the rest of the body lay in the mountains." Uttering these few words Mohammad Soltani informed camera teams about the tragic fate of his brother Mabrouk Soltani. By Iman Hajji
By Iman Hajjih
Western involvement in Syria

Fewer bombs, not more!

Only when the West has helped to end the war in Syria, or at least Assad's airstrikes, can it count on Syrian support in the fight against IS. To protect Syrians in their homeland, Germany in particular should be advocating no-bombing zones, says Kristin Helberg
By Kristin Helberg
Airstrikes against IS

Solidarity yet no strategy

Western airstrikes will fail to have any significant impact on the terrorist militia as long as the Syrian rebels, prevented from focusing their efforts on the jihadists by the ongoing offensive staged by Assad′s regime, have to defend themselves simultaneously against IS and Assad. A commentary by Bente Scheller
By Bente Scheller
Interview with Arun Kundnani

Violence comes home

After the Paris attacks, what are the logical and tragic consequences of a war with no geographical limits? In this interview, Arun Kundnani unveils and critiques the ramifications of the ″war on terror″, from the conservative and liberal rhetoric of the intellectuals and commentators who have emerged, to the theories of ″radicalisation″ which have fuelled counter-terrorism programmes in the West
After the Paris attacks

The emotional helplessness of Muslims

In the wake of the Paris attacks, there is a growing sense of resentment and exhaustion within Muslims communities in Europe at having to repeatedly distance themselves from terror under the guise of Islam. An essay by the blogger Busra Delikaya
By Büşra Delikaya
Interview with the Islam expert Olivier Roy

European Islam: destined to be ignored

The links between Europe and the Maghreb are stronger than many would like to believe. Politicians on both sides of the Mediterranean, in particular, are ignoring the emergence of a specifically European brand of Islam, says the French political scientist and Islamic studies expert Olivier Roy. The interview was conducted by Federica Zoja
By Federica Zoja
Tunisia's union leader Houcine Abbassi

The intermediary

Houcine Abbassi has headed the Tunisian Labour Union Confederation UGTT since late 2011. Along with workers' rights, he primarily pleads for political dialogue in his home country. The National Dialogue Quartet he initiated for this purpose has now been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. By Sarah Mersch
By Sarah Mersch
IS terror in Europe

Crossing a psychological line

Following the devastating attacks on Paris, French terrorism experts believe that the jihadists′ awareness must have undergone a radical change to enable them to operate in Paris just as they do in Syria or Iraq. Has "Islamic State" altered its strategy? Analysis by Birgit Kaspar
By Birgit Kaspar
Paris terrorist attacks

A terrible case of deja-vu

Following the January attack on "Charlie Hebdo," Paris has become the target of terrorist attacks for the second time this year. The cold-bloodedness of the assailants has shocked the French. One day later, Barbara Wesel reports from the French capital with her impressions
By Barbara Wesel
Chronicle of a war foretold

Redefining the "Syrian" conflict

The war waging in Syria, hijacked by opposing ideologies just months after it began, has had an irrevocable impact on the Syrian people. Although not much is heard of Syrians outside the refugee camps, Americans, Europeans, Russians, Turks, Iranians, and Arabs hold meeting after meeting to agree and disagree, coalesce and collide, in an attempt to halt the ″Syrian conflict″. By Hakim Khatib
By Hakim Khatib
Turkish general election

Erdogan′s second chance

Can Recep Tayyip Erdogan distance himself from the paternalistic style of government he has favoured in the past? Having been granted a considerable mandate by the Turkish population at the beginning of November, those in the AKP administration can surely afford to take a more benign approach to minority groups and those advocating peaceful dissent. By Sinan Ulgen
By Sinan Ulgen
Interview with the Israeli historian Tom Segev

″United Jerusalem is a myth″

In interview with Inge Günther, the prominent Israeli historian and journalist Tom Segev talks about life in the city where peace is impossible
By Inge Günther