Most recent articles by Emran Feroz
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Negotiating peace with the TalibanAny deal will do
The tension among Kabul's political elite is palpable. Washington has been conducting negotiations for a peace deal with the insurgent Taliban in the Gulf emirate of Qatar for quite some time now, and the government in Kabul feels side-lined. Yet regardless of who is sitting around the negotiating table, almost all players in Afghanistan agree: the need for peace is urgent. By Emran Feroz
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Interview with political scientists Nader Hashemi and Danny PostelThe West's "intellectually lazy" obsession with sectarianism
Danny Postel and Nader Hashemi warn in this interview with Emran Feroz against the tendency in Western media and policy circles to view Middle Eastern politics in essentialist sectarian terms. "Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East", their recent collection of essays, examines the topic in depth
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Syria’s White HelmetsStigmatising saviours
As mass murder takes place in Syria before the eyes of the world, civilian volunteers – such as the Syrian White Helmets – continue to be the subject of an extraordinary propaganda campaign. Instead of facts, this is dominated by fake news and a large dose of inhumanity. By Emran Feroz
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Yassin al-Haj Saleh's "The Impossible Revolution"The "Syrianisation" of the world
In his book "The Impossible Revolution – Making Sense of the Syrian Tragedy", Syrian dissident Yassin al-Haj Saleh chronicles the Syrian revolution and explains how it was destroyed. His analysis shows all too clearly how little the West knows about Syria to this day. By Emran Feroz
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Afghan National MuseumThe many headless Buddhas
The tragic history of Kabul is nowhere more clearly seen than at two adjacent historical sites: the ruined shell of the Darul Aman Palace and its close neighbour the National Museum of Afghanistan, where visitors are hard pressed to find a Buddha with its head intact. By Emran Feroz
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Interview with Mohamedou Ould Slahi"The rule of law means nothing to a corrupt regime"
Mauritanian Mohamedou Ould Slahi spent more than fourteen years in Guantanamo. His "Guantanamo diary", which has been translated into numerous languages, won him global acclaim. After a protracted legal battle, Slahi finally released in October 2016. In an exclusive interview with Emran Feroz, he talks about his experiences during his imprisonment
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Deportations to AfghanistanNo safe country of origin
Since the middle of December, 78 Afghans have been deported from Germany on charter flights. The most recent of these joint deportation flights to Kabul took off only last week. Despite the fact that war and destruction are still part of everyday life in Afghanistan, other such flights are already planned. By Emran Feroz
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Interview with Syrian dissident Yassin al-Haj SalehThe West's lamentable myopia
Syrian intellectual Yassin al-Haj Saleh was a revolutionary from the very first. He remains harshly critical of all those political observers and experts in the West who claim that there is no alternative to Assad and that shoring up the regime would be the lesser of two evils. Interview by Emran Feroz
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Putin, Assad and the fall of AleppoMasters of disinformation
While the attention of the world is focused on events in Aleppo, Assad and his allies are talking about the "liberation" of the city. Some believe him, left wing anti-imperialists for example. By Emran Feroz
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Ahmad Shah MassoudAfghanistan's Cold War hero
9 September marked the 15th anniversary of the death of Ahmad Shah Massoud, revered as a war hero not only in his homeland, but also in the West. This is astonishing in view of the fact that he – just like all other Afghan warlords – can justifiably be described as a war criminal. By Emran Feroz
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Fighting the Taliban in AfghanistanWhere the warlords still hold sway
The militias of Afghan warlords have always occupied a dubious position in the life of the country. But Kabul relies on them as allies in the battle against the Taliban – a strategy, however, that is having the opposite effect. By Emran Feroz
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Noam Chomsky in interviewObama's sangfroid
Former MIT professor and philosopher Noam Chomsky is widely regarded as one of the world's leading intellectuals. Undoubtedly, Chomsky's word has weight. Emran Feroz interviewed him on Barack Obama's political legacy in the Middle East, the deal with Iran and the refugee crisis