Most recent articles by Mona Sarkis
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The demise of Modern Standard ArabicTongue-tied Arabs
It is one of the most important Semitic world languages. One of the six official languages of the UN. The language of Ibn Arabis – and of the Koran. And yet Modern Standard Arabic is not very popular with native speakers. Why? Mona Sarkis has some of the answers
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Syria's cultural heritage under threat"Virtually nothing is left"
It is now plain for all to see that the destruction of Syria's cultural heritage is far worse than anyone expected. Michel al-Maqdissi, director of the Archaeological Excavations Department at the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums from 2000 to 2012, tells Mona Sarkis how dire things really are and of the mistakes made by UNESCO
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ISIS leader in IraqThe new face of Jihadism?
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has been active in Syria for two years now. It currently has around 5,000 fighters there – and the numbers are growing. Aron Lund, who has written studies on Syria's fighter landscape for the Swedish Institute for International Affairs, explains the terrorist organisation's strategies to Mona Sarkis
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Interview with the political scientist Abdel Mottaleb El-HusseiniLebanon: "A mixture of vacuum and volcano"
A million Syrian refugees, a catastrophic economy and increasing domestic hostility towards Hezbollah: the war in Syria is pushing neighbouring Lebanon to the limit. Mona Sarkis spoke to the Lebanese journalist Abdel Mottaleb el-Husseini about the current political situation in his country
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Business Innovation in LebanonThe Other Spring
Fifteen years of civil war. Another twenty-two years of bombs, Israeli aggression and domestic discord. Now the conflict in Syria threatens to ignite the neighbouring country's flames once again. Yet more and more young Lebanese are fighting for their country – in the business arena
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Interview with Ali Granmayeh about Iran and the ''Arabellions''Yearning for Lost Freedoms
In 2009, well before the Arab Spring began, Iranians rose up against their regime in what became known as the Green Revolution. Their uprising failed. So how do they and the Iranian regime feel about the wave of uprisings that have swept the Arab world this year? Mona Sarkis met Ali Granmayeh, a former Iranian diplomat, to find out
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Arabic in Latin Script
Lost in Arabic
Arabic was never easy. But if the language spoken by some 240 million people with its convoluted verb forms and guttural phonology suddenly starts appearing in Latin script, then things get really complicated. And at the same time very straightforward. Details from Mona Sarkis