Syria
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Syrian newspaper Enab Baladi"We offer an alternative to propaganda and hate"
The team behind Enab Baladi, the revolutionary media organisation founded at the start of the 2011 uprising, has returned to Syria. Co-founder Kholoud Helmi explains why their presence in Damascus is more crucial than ever.
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Syrian President Ahmed al-SharaaThe false saviour
Ahmed al-Sharaa is celebrated for liberating Syria from the Assad regime. But the former militia leader has a dark past. Will the people, out of desperation, once again fall prey to a brutal dictator?
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Syrian activist The Darvish"Queerness is freedom and freedom is indivisible"
Belly dancer and queer organiser The Darvish arrived in Berlin in 2016, where they found a welcoming community and room for self-expression. But they warn that, as German politics shifts to the right, this community is under threat and its spaces are vanishing.
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Syria's shadow economySex work, captagon and currency
Having grown significantly during the war, Syria's informal market for sex, drugs and money continues to thrive. Meanwhile, weak regulation is discouraging investment in the formal economy.
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New print issueWhat will become of Syria?
The question of Syria's future is the focus of the latest issue of Kulturaustausch, who we've partnered with for the first time. The answers come from our Syrian contributors. Articles are now available online in English.
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The new SyriaA history of violence
For the first time in eleven years, Yassin al-Haj Saleh returned to his homeland. The Syrian writer and dissident found a country torn apart by internal conflicts and beset by worries about the return of tyranny. A historical analysis.
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Artists in SyriaReclaiming space, testing limits
Since Assad's fall, Syrian artists and intellectuals have been seeking ways to respond to a transformed reality. Four cultural workers reflect on the shape of the cultural sphere in the new Syria.
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Stateless in SyriaWill al-Sharaa naturalise foreign fighters and their children?
Thousands of children born to foreign militia members and Syrian mothers remain stateless. As the government considers granting citizenship to fighters, their families—including the widows of deceased fighters—wait for clarity.
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Political scientist Rahaf Aldoughli"Al-Sharaa must be put under pressure"
Ahmed al-Sharaa promised a peaceful Syria, but violence continues to shape the country's transition. A genuine national dialogue, political participation and a strategy to integrate former fighters into the army are essential, says political scientist Rahaf Aldoughli.
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Kafr Nabl, SyriaTraces of the revolution
When the Syrian revolution began in 2011, Kafr Nabl went from a sleepy, provincial town to a hub of resistance. Today, it resembles a ghost town. Its story may help ensure the revolution's original ideals are not forgotten.
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Public space in SyriaWhere Damascus goes to breathe
Before the war, Mount Qasioun was a refuge for the people of Damascus, a rare space for freedom and intimacy. After Assad's fall, it was briefly reclaimed as a public space, but now large-scale private developments threaten to take it over.
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New biography of Ali KhameneiThe man pulling Iran's strings
Ali Khamenei is one of the most powerful figures in world politics, with influence extending far beyond Iran. Who is the man who, since 1989, has steered the Islamic Republic with an iron grip? A new biography by Ali Sadrzadeh sheds some light on the mystery.