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Anti-government protests

Is this Iraq's Arab Spring?

Iraq is currently facing such an alarming array of economic, political and social problems that many observers fear no-one will be up to the task of delivering the much-needed reforms. By Stasa Salacanin
Protesting for reform and an end to corruption

Iraq's youth reject the dire status quo

More than a hundred dead and thousands injured: this is the brutal tally thus far of the current unrest in Iraq. Neither the country's political landscape, nor the ubiquitous confessional take on Iraqi politics offer much in the way of explanation. By Karim El-Gawhary
Protests in Iran

No revolution in sight

Forty years after the start of the Islamic Revolution, Iran is once again convulsed with protests. Many of the economic problems facing the country today resemble those in the 1970s, and the regime appears to be scarcely less repressive and ossified than it was back then. Nevertheless, the current protests are unlikely to be the beginning of a new revolution, says Ulrich von Schwerin
Economic policy in Iran

Rouhani′s inevitable failure

Four years ago, Hassan Rouhani assumed the Iranian presidency on the back of a campaign pledge to alleviate Iran′s economic hardship by striving for the removal of sanctions. Yet the looked-for up-turn has yet to materialise. An issue, argues Ali Fathollah-Nejad, that is bound to play into the hands of the arch-conservative opposition
The influence of Iran′s religious foundations

Faith and profit enshrined

Millions of pilgrims visit the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad to be near to the holy man. The tomb is an important economic factor for the city, but at the same time it is the centre of an extensive business em-pire wielding huge influence in Iranian politics. On the political economy of the holy man, by Ulrich von Schwerin
Interview with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkul Karman

"We need to bring back the Arab Spring!"

In 2011 Tawakkul Karman became the first Arab woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In interview with Nader Alsarras, the 39-year-old explains why the Arab Spring failed and why Yemen has since descended into war and chaos
Pop video sparks political scandal

Iran’s hardliners are losing the youth

Videos of children dancing to a sexy pop song trigger a serious political scandal in Iran and reveal the opposing world views of rulers and population. Details by Iman Aslani
The summer of 1988

A dark chapter in Iranian history

In the summer of 1988, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a decree sentencing thousands of political prisoners to death. Monireh Baradaran was a left-wing activist in prison at the time and witnessed her cellmates being picked up for execution. Interview by Farhad Payar
Foreign academics risk arrest in Iran

Tehran's new hostage policy

Political hostage takings are nothing new in Iran. But the detention of several western academics represents a new dimension. There are grounds for suspecting that hardliners in the judiciary, intelligence service and Revolutionary Guard Corps are intent on scuppering talks to salvage the nuclear accord. By Ulrich von Schwerin
Berlinale 2019: "Born in Evin"

Confronting a very personal trauma

When Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979, he persecuted his opponents with severity. Maryam Zaree was born in a prison for political prisoners. With her film "Born in Evin" she breaks her silence. By Laura Doing