Most recent articles by Karim El-Gawhary
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IS attacks in BrusselsNo more shades of grey
Following last week′s brutal events in Brussels, there has once again been much talk in the media of an attack on Western lifestyle and freedoms. Meanwhile the strategy and the tactics of Islamic State are much more sophisticated than some of this post-attack coverage. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Interview with Martin Kobler, UN Special Representative on Libya"Libya must not become the Syria of tomorrow"
In view of the advance of IS in Libya, the UN's Special Representative on Libya, Martin Kobler, warns of the need for swift action: the Libyan state must reinstate its monopoly on the use of force to enable it to take appropriate counter measures. Karim El-Gawhary spoke to the German diplomat
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Five years of Arab SpringThe butterfly effect
It was the flap of a butterfly wing that was to trigger a storm in Europe. Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in 2010 sent a clear signal: things were about to change. Despite many setbacks, the impact of this message is still being felt. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Peace treaty signed by warring factions in LibyaThe steep road to national unity
Although the event was not the main focus of international attention, the agreement signed by Libya′s rival factions in the Moroccan coastal city of Skhirat this week is perhaps more important for Europe than the European summit meeting that took place the same day. By Karim El-Gawhary
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The Arab view of the European refugee crisisLudicrous squabbling
Syria’s Middle Eastern neighbours have to date absorbed four million Syrian refugees. For this reason the EU should make it plain that despite images of train stations full of refugees, Europe is only shouldering a relatively small part of the current burden. A contribution to the debate by Karim El-Gawhary
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Lebanon's "You Stink" protest movementRubbish knows no religion
Triggered by a waste disposal crisis, a new movement has formed in Lebanon. Yet the "You Stink" campaign is more than an initiative against unsolved rubbish problems; it is also a rebellion against Lebanon's family clans and confessionalism, a system that divides up political power among the country's religious communities in proportion to their percentage of the population. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Suez Canal extensionA drop in the ocean?
The Suez Canal extension can be seen as a political success for Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. But Egyptian experts doubt that a single large-scale project such as this will be enough to power up Egypt's sluggish economy. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo
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After the Sousse attackUnited against terror
Following the attack on a beach hotel near Sousse, which claimed the lives of 38 and injured 39 others, many Tunisians took to the streets to demonstrate against Islamist terror in their country and call for a tightening of security laws. Report from Sousse by Karim El-Gawhary
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The case of Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed MansourA politically motivated incident?
German authorities have released the prominent Egyptian journalist Ahmed Mansour after three days in detention, despite a request by the authorities in Egypt for his extradition. The case has triggered a bout of angry questions concerning press freedom and German-Egyptian relations. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo
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Death sentence against Mohammed MorsiDemocracy is futile
The most problematic aspect of the death sentence handed down to the democratically elected former President Morsi is arguably the dangerous message it sends out to the Islamists, namely that there is no point participating in the democratic process. A commentary by Karim El-Gawhary
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Offensive against IS in IraqSowing the seeds of the next disaster
With their keen fighting spirit, the Shia militias may well be an effective weapon in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq. However, this is quite literally a case of casting out the devil that is IS with the Beelzebub that is the Shia militias, says Karim El-Gawhary
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Egyptian soccer stadium deathsBlack day for the "White Knights"
Three years after the Port Said catastrophe, Egyptian soccer has again been hit by tragedy. At least 22 fans were killed in a stampede and clashes with police outside a stadium in the capital on Sunday, 8 February. Background details from Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo