9/11
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The West and Islam 20 years after 9/11
Paranoia, now
A deluge of books, movies, series and cover stories: ever since the events of 9/11, the West has seemed almost manically preoccupied with Islam. Yet this has rarely led to deeper understanding. Instead, what has been reinforced is the concept of Islam as fate. By Sonja Zekri
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9/11 twenty years on
Muslims in the West – the cultural go-betweens
Twenty years after 9/11, the world is faced with the dual challenge of Islamophobia and anti-Westernism. Ahmet Kuru argues that Muslims in the West, well versed in both Western and Muslim cultures, are key to resolving the mutual antipathy felt by many
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9/11 twenty years on
How the 'War on Terror' destabilised the Middle East
Two decades after the attacks of 11 September 2001, the West faces the shattered debris of its failure – not only in Afghanistan, but also in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen. What went wrong in the war on terror? And what lessons can Europe learn from it? Essay by Kristin Helberg
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20 years after 9/11
U.S. war on terror is still omnipresent
Twenty years after 9/11, the United States is recalibrating its war policy. However, its assertions that the era of endless wars is over are a myth, writes Maha Hilal
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"Neo-Taliban" in Afghanistan?
Democracy Taliban-style
In league with the village mullahs: the Taliban have taken Afghanistan by storm. The rebels' victory is the result of a social revolution in Afghanistan, writes Joseph Croitoru in his analysis
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The West's neo-colonialism
Why nation-building failed in Afghanistan
Although the United States clearly could have done a better job of managing its departure from Afghanistan, the tragedy playing out this month has been 20 years in the making. From the outset, America and its allies embraced – and never reconsidered – a top-down state-building strategy that was always destined to fail. Commentary by Daron Acemoglu
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Western withdrawal from Afghanistan
The symbolic importance of the U.S. defeat
Caught up in discussions on the future of local Afghan forces and new Islamist threats, people are failing to grasp the historic scale of the debacle, argues Stefan Buchen in his essay
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Afghanistan and Iran
Can Iran be friends with the Taliban?
One thing the regime in Tehran has in common with the Taliban is that they both dislike the USA. But apart from that, Tehran has a number of issues with its neighbour, writes Katajun Amirpur, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Cologne
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Last stand for Afghanistan's art scene?
Afghan artists react to the Taliban takeover
Particularly threatened by the Taliban, some artists are trying to destroy all proof of their work. Others are creating last pieces as a form of resistance. Manasi Gopalakrishnan reports
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The West's failure in Afghanistan
Authors of 'War on Terror' in denial to the bitter end
How could the Afghan government and its institutions collapse so quickly? That things were going wrong in Afghanistan had been obvious for a long time, yet the West preferred to look the other way, writes Emran Feroz
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Afghanistan in the hand of the Islamists
Taliban rule the second time round – what to expect?
In the wake of the Taliban seizing power in Afghanistan, it makes sense to take a closer look at their ideology. Can they contribute to a peaceful order? German Afghanistan expert Thomas Ruttig recently outlined his view in an essay for a U.S. Military Academy West Point publication. By Rishikesh Thapa
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Germany and its Afghan interpreters
"Why are you leaving me behind?"
I regret very much that I worked for the Bundeswehr. If the Taliban knock on my door, I hope they shoot me right away. Guest article by Ahmad Jawid Sultani