Drugs

Alcohol ban in Syria

Will Damascus soon sober up?

In June, a ban on serving alcohol is due to come into force in Damascus. Bar owners are worried, while the population remains divided. Some consider the ban necessary, others see it as a serious infringement on personal freedoms.
Syria's shadow economy

Sex work, captagon and currency

Having grown significantly during the war, Syria's informal market for sex, drugs and money continues to thrive. Meanwhile, weak regulation is discouraging investment in the formal economy.
Organised crime in Turkey

A haven for international criminals

Lax laws on money laundering, easy access to citizenship, insufficient prosecution – Turkey has grown more attractive for international criminal networks in recent years. In response, the new interior minister has declared a crackdown
Economic diplomacy

Who wants to invest in Syria now?

Recent events may indicate the world wants to start doing business with Syria again, despite its government being accused of war crimes. But, asks Cathrin Schaer, how likely is it China, the EU and Gulf states will start spending big there?
Trading in amphetamines

How Syria became a narco state

Captagon is now Syria's biggest export by far, dwarfing all its legal exports put together, according to estimates drawn from official data. An amphetamine derived from a once-legal treatment for narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder, it has become a huge drug in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia by far the biggest market
Cannabis and Islam?

There is no one single answer

The German government is planning to legalise cannabis before the end of this legislative period. So what does Islam have to say about its consumption? Will changing the law alter the way Muslims in Germany feel about the issue? Said Rezek talked to Muslim theologian Ali Ghandour from the University of Munster
Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis

Can the Taliban avert a food crisis without foreign aid?

In view of the catastrophic supply situation in Afghanistan, UN authorities are sounding the alarm. Inflation and growing poverty are exacerbating the situation. The Taliban reportedly have an emergency programme to combat the crisis. By Shabnam von Hein
Afghanistan

Victim-blaming – a trope of the West's failure in Afghanistan

One prominent narrative relating to the defeat of the western-led military intervention in Afghanistan is that it was a mistake to try to build a modern democracy in a society steeped in "mediaeval traditions" and "tribal attitudes". Hans Dembowski condemns this self-serving and condescending standpoint, which persists in ignoring the serious flaws in the West's engagement, while blaming the victims for its failure
Maghreb and the EU

Will medicinal cannabis become Morocco's no.1 export?

A law is currently being debated in Morocco that would legalise the cultivation and export of medicinal cannabis. For many small farmers, this would bring considerable advantages. But the bill is controversial. By Cathrin Schaer
Modern-day slavery

Despite the fact that slavery is prohibited worldwide, modern forms still exist. More than 40 million men, women and children still toil in debt bondage or slavery all over the world. By Helle Jeppesen and Natalie Muller
Iranian society

The Islamic Republic has a drug problem

Headlines about Iran usually focus on its nuclear deal with the global powers, its controversial missile programme, not to mention international sanctions. The deep-rooted domestic challenges that the country faces get less attention. One of them is a drastic rise in narcotics consumption in the past ten years. By Mitra Shahrani
Afghanistan's opium trade

A nice little earner – for everyone

Afghanistanʹs drug economy provides a regular income to rural communities in this extremely unstable country. With eighty-five percent of villages in the countryʹs south cultivating opium poppies, yield fluctuations have more to do with the weather than government policy. By Janet Kursawe