Arms trade
All topics-
Interview with Middle East expert Guido Steinberg
No one wants conflict with Saudi Arabia
Even though the case of the disappeared Saudi journalist Khashoggi weighs heavily, no government is prepared to risk open conflict with the Saudis. Meanwhile, the concerns of dissidents who have fled their authoritarian countries of origin to the West are growing. By Diana Hodali
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A nuclear Middle East
Arab states court the atom
With more instability likely in the near future, the incentives for maintaining or acquiring nuclear weapons in the Middle East are destined to increase. One thing remains clear, however: as long as Israel is excluded, the objective of total nuclear disarmament in the region will never be achieved, writes Israel Rafalovich
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"Visions of Iran": the Iranian Film Festival in Cologne
Halabja – casting a long shadow
The First Gulf War, the chemical attack on the Iraqi village of Halabja in 1988 and the role played by foreign companies in the build-up of chemical weapons in the region were the main topics at the most recent "Visions of Iran" film festival in Cologne. By Bernd G. Schmitz
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U.S. policy on Iran
Middle East nightmare – made in Washington
According to essayist and media scientist Khaled Hroub, the United States may be talking to North Korea, but it is actively seeking war between Saudi Arabia and Iran
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The Syrian Archive
Netting the war criminals
An open source project in Berlin is gathering hundreds of thousands of online videos on the war in Syria in order to investigate war crimes such as the recent alleged chemical weapons attack on Douma. By David Siebert
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Political transformation under Mohammed bin Salman
Saudi Arabiaʹs perilous pivot
The politics of Mohammed bin Salman hardly bode well for the stability of the Middle East. The Saudi Crown Prince is taking an increasingly tough line against Iran and that countryʹs regional ambitions, thus exacerbating the Sunni-Shia divide. By Shlomo Avineri
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Mosque attacks in Germany
The wrong target
Since the beginning of the Turkish military offensive in the northern Syrian enclave of Afrin, there have been repeated violent attacks on Turkish mosques in Germany. Foreign conflicts should not be imported to Germany, nor should the military conflicts of other nations be fuelled by weapons exports, says Armin Langer
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Germany's arms exports controversy
When doves cry
The embargo on arms exports to countries involved in the conflict in Yemen recently agreed by Germany's two biggest political parties must be maintained and underpinned by binding criteria in a law on arms exports, writes Markus Bickel
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Mohammed bin Salman′s political agenda
The Saudi parable
Recently, every report on Saudi Arabia′s erratic foreign policy seems to end up concluding that the Kingdom is simply battling it out with Iran for dominance of the region. All this does is wrap the incomprehensible in pseudo-plausibility. By Charlotte Wiedemann
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Saudi Arabia's foreign policy
Catalogue of political failures
The world of the Arab states is in dramatic decline. In this time of crisis, Saudi Arabia has stepped into a leadership role. According to Stefan Buchen, it is not up to the job
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Germany′s arms exports to the Islamic world
Profiteering from terrorism
Germany's massive arms exports are helping shore up autocratic regimes in the Middle East. The policy is short-sighted and driven by economic interests, writes Markus Bickel in his highly informative analysis ″Die Profiteure des Terrors″. By Claudia Mende
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Bahrain′s slide towards military rule
Tightening the noose
The outright militarisation of the security apparatus has infected more and more sectors of Bahraini society. In fact, it's now even been written into the country′s constitution. Report by Husain Abdulla