Assad regime
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Turkey's Syrian problem
Refugees – a hot topic in Turkish politics
With tensions rising dangerously amid a burgeoning economic crisis, the Turkish government’s refugee policy – ad hoc, miscalculated and unclear – is making Syrians an easy target for the opposition. Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul
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Ukraine and the West's selective values
Less 'clash of civilisations', more rift
Very different Western reactions to the suffering in Ukraine and the Arab world show that there is a profound rift among cultures. Essay by Michael Young
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UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
Iran and Islamists a threat to Gulf safe haven
United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on 14 May, has led a realignment of the Middle East, creating a new anti-Iran axis with Israel while fighting a rising tide of political Islam in the region
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Europe, Ukraine and refugees
Compassion, a sliding scale?
Ideally, those Europeans currently welcoming Ukrainian refugees would show the same sympathy to Syrians, Afghans and others fleeing war beyond the continent. But, argues Ian Buruma, human compassion is a rare enough commodity that we should be grateful whenever it appears
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Open-source on Russia's crimes
Lessons learnt in Syria help Ukraine
Researchers have spent years collecting evidence of Russian war crimes in Syria, using everything from social media to satellite images. Open-source research has evolved. Cathrin Schaer asks whether it could help bring justice to Ukraine faster
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Russia in Syria
Strikes on Idlib water supply and farms war crimes?
Rights groups have said the suspected Russian bombing of pumping stations and chicken farms in Idlib, one of Syria's last rebel-held areas, is meant to push out displaced locals. It may have been a war crime. Cathrin Schaer reports
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Russia's interventions in Ukraine and Syria
What drives Putin is evident from Syria
Anyone wishing to know how far Putin will go in Ukraine should look to Syria. There, the Kremlin has been successfully asserting its own interests for years – with military ruthlessness, diplomatic pressure, brazen propaganda and tactical agility. Commentary by Kristin Helberg
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Syrians and the Ukraine war
"We share a similar suffering"
Syrian opposition activists say they know what it's like to go up against the Russian military. Some experts think things may have turned out differently in Ukraine if the West had stood up to the Kremlin over Syria. By Diana Hodali
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Russia's invasion of Ukraine
What impact on the Arab world?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has strengthened the position of a number of Arab countries; after all, the West is likely to need urgent access to their oil and gas. Nevertheless, the rentier states remain uneasy at the prospect. By Christoph Ehrhardt
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What to do with Assad?
Taming Syria’s rogue man
The more-for-more approach could kickstart the deadlocked political process, but it won't resolve the conflict in Syria. Assad must go. Any strategy that fails to bear this in mind long-term is not only unfair to Syrians and humanity as a whole, but will plant the seeds for the next conflict in the region. By Karam Shaar
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Climate crisis and over-population
The Arab world has no answers
As challenges such as population growth and the end of the fossil fuel era loom large, not a single Arab regime is in a position to meet them. It is now incumbent upon Europe to encourage a response. Commentary by Rainer Hermann
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Idlib: Life among the ruins