Most recent articles by Laura Overmeyer
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Documentary Feature ''The Iran Job''US Basketball Player as Cultural Diplomat
In Autumn 2008, film maker Till Schauder accompanied the American basketball player Kevin Sheppard to Iran, where he'd signed a contract to play a season with A.S. Shiraz. Initially, Sheppard tried to keep sport and politics apart, but he soon realised that that wasn't possible in Iran. By Laura Overmeyer
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Islamic Jurisprudence in QatarPutting the Gulf on the Legal Education Map
The small emirate of Qatar is extremely ambitious – and wants to position itself as a motor for the region, also in the field of jurisprudence. Laura Overmeyer spoke to the German legal expert Günter Frankenberg, who is aiming to set up an innovative legal research institute in Doha
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The Uprising of Women in the Arab WorldFighting Patriarchal Tyranny
The group "The uprising of women in the Arab world" is taking a courageous stand for gender equality. However, the activists face significant resistance: from old ways of thinking, patriarchal chauvinism – and even from Facebook. Laura Overmeyer reports
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''Human Rights as an Alibi'' by Bahman NirumandThe Colonial Era Is Long Gone
In his new book, the German-Iranian journalist Bahman Nirumand appeals to the West to adopt a new foreign policy approach. Western politics should not align itself with the principles of realpolitik, but place much more emphasis on individual values. He says this is the only way to contribute to a stabilisation of the Middle East region. By Laura Overmeyer