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Squeezed between occupation and civil war

The Golan Heights were unilaterally annexed by Israel in 1981. At the time, many Syrian residents fled. Most of those who remained belong to the Druze community. In this article, Ylenia Gostoli takes a closer look at the situation for the Druze in the Golan Heights and shines a light on their relationship with both Syria and their co-religionists in Israel

"These women do not need to be saved, they need to be heard"

A new project highlighting women in the MENA region and their struggle during and after the Arab Spring goes against the usual Western image of the docile, oppressed Arab woman. Instead, "The Trials of Spring" shows women in the region as they are: strong, active, committed participants and well-informed activists. The project features six short films about Arab women. Joseph Mayton spoke to Academy Award-nominated producer Gini Reticker about the project

A race against time

Old Beirut is slowly dying. Remnants of the Lebanese capital′s architectural heritage have survived two world wars, fifteen years of civil war, the 2006 Summer War, as well as hundreds of car bombings, suicide attacks and assassinations. Yet now, writes Changiz Varzi, there′s a new, inexorable threat: real estate development

Rubbish knows no religion

Triggered by a waste disposal crisis, a new movement has formed in Lebanon. Yet the "You Stink" campaign is more than an initiative against unsolved rubbish problems; it is also a rebellion against Lebanon's family clans and confessionalism, a system that divides up political power among the country's religious communities in proportion to their percentage of the population. By Karim El-Gawhary

Syrian detainee No. 72

The Syrian government has acknowledged that hundreds of detainees were killed in state custody. Anchal Vohra met one of the prisoners who, along with many others, was tortured in Bashar Assad's jails. This is his story

Damage limitation? Assad's death notices for the missing

Families of Syrian detainees are just now finding out that their loved ones died in custody years ago. Recent moves by Bashar Assad's government to update civil registries is little more than a cynical attempt to cover up its own atrocities. By Lewis Sanders IV and Emad Hassan

Casualties of war

The wealth of cultural sites strewn throughout present day Syria and Iraq bear ample witness to the fact that this area was once revered as the cradle of civilisation – sadly, many of these sites have fallen victim to war, violence and looting. By Mey Dudin

Razed to the ground

Islamic State recently blew up Mosul′s landmark Al-Nuri mosque. The extent of the damage is only likely to be fully revealed when the jihadists are finally driven out of the city. By Joseph Croitoru

Mesopotamia: the cradle of civilisation

The Middle East is not only the scene of terrible violence, but also the birthplace of modern civilisation. It is high time we recalled the historical significance of ancient Mesopotamian culture, realising that current events in the Middle East are also a threat to our own identity. By Melanie Christina Mohr

Courting Disaster

The growing gulf between Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi and the secular opposition threatens to tear the country apart with unforeseeable consequences for Egypt's economy and political future. A commentary by Volker Perthes