Most recent articles by Jannis Hagmann
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Middle East conflict"Palestinian refugees have a right to the truth"
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) wants to make public several million documents it has collected on those displaced in 1948 and their descendants. The project is intended to help deal with trauma. But funds are lacking, says Dorothee Klaus of UNRWA in an interview with Jannis Hagmann
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Saudi Arabia's urban developmentThe Crown Prince's bulldozers
Entire neighbourhoods in the Saudi coastal metropolis of Jeddah are being razed to the ground. Tens of thousands of people are losing their homes. With a marina and Saudi Arabia's first opera house, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hopes to create a global urban brand worthy of Dubai or Singapore. By Jannis Hagmann
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Egypt, Alaa Abd El-Fattah and democracy"You have not yet been defeated"
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, arguably Egypt’s most prominent democracy activist, has just been handed another lengthy prison sentence. Despite this, a book of his writing has recently been published. It reveals the former Tahrir Square activist as a reflective, left-wing intellectual. Jannis Hagmann read the book
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Death sentences against Muslim Brotherhood members in EgyptAn act of reckoning
Attracting little attention from the world at large, Egypt's military regime has been mercilessly going after dissidents. Now, the first executions of prominent members of the Muslim Brotherhood loom. All the while, the true extent of the crackdown remains unknown. By Jannis Hagmann
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Interview with Mustafa BarghoutiPalestinians rediscover their sense of unity
Mustafa Barghouthi, Palestinian politician and secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative party is a key voice of the secular liberal left in Palestinian politics. Following the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire, he gives his view of events in Israel and the Occupied Territories in recent days and his hopes for German and European foreign policy going forward. Interview by Jannis Hagmann
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Saudi Arabia, MbS and dissentWho’s afraid of Princess Basmah?
With Trump out of office, Saudi Arabi’s Crown Prince MbS has lost one of his key protectors. Dissidents are seizing their opportunity to muster support. The latest case to be brought to international attention is that of a Saudi princess and her daughter, abducted and held without charge. By Jannis Hagmann
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Non-fiction: Ulrike Freitag's "A History of Jeddah"The legacy of Jeddah's migration history lives on
Jeddah is very different from other cities on the Arabian Peninsula, says Ulrike Freitag, historian of the Modern Middle East. In her book "A History of Jeddah", she explores the turbulent history of this former Ottoman port city, which has been uniquely shaped by trade and pilgrimage. Jannis Hagmann spoke to her about the city and the book
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Arab Spring 2.0The Middle East's fearless protesters
The upheavals of the past year in the MENA region are arguably as momentous as those of the Arab Spring in 2011. Yet perhaps the biggest difference is that our interest seems to have evaporated. Why? Essay by Jannis Hagmann
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Interview with Andre Bank, political scientist"The refugees are part of Jordanian politics"
As conflicts continue to escalate in the region, Jordan remains stable. In fact, the kingdom is actually profiting from the chaos and the refugees, says political scientist Andre Bank in conversation with Jannis Hagmann
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The Berlin Project "House of One"Three religions under one roof
Berlin is set to host Germany's first ever house of worship to unite synagogue, church and mosque. With the "House of One" project, Jews, Christians and Muslims aim to send out a signal of tolerance from Berlin's historic centre. Jannis Hagmann on the ambitious and refreshingly pragmatic project
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Saudi Arabia′s hip-hop sceneRapping the Kingdom
Saudi Arabia′s hip-hop scene is booming. Except that the musicians rarely get to perform live. A visit to Jeddah, the rap capital of the conservative Gulf state. By Jannis Hagmann
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Electro Festival "Les Dunes Electroniques" in TunisiaBeats and bass in the desert
Young people from Tunisia and beyond recently descended on the desert where George Lucas filmed parts of his "Star Wars" films to celebrate North Africa's biggest festival of electronic music. The government actively supported the event, and it looked as if the festival was going to be a great success, but then the bad weather kicked in. Jannis Hagmann reports from Nefta