The Afghan Muddle
Farewell to Power Politics
Libya's Border Triangle
Trouble Looming
Two Years after the Overthrow of the Gaddafi Regime
Are We Facing a Second Somalia?
Caroline Link's Film "Exit Marrakech"
Understanding the Cultural "Other"

The Afghan Muddle

Farewell to Power Politics

Afghanistan's neighbours must not play power politics within the country, in the hope of gaining some slight advantage over one another. That path leads only to chaos, from which no country benefits. By Jaswant Singh, former long-time serving minister in IndiaRead more

Interview with Hikmet Çetin: "Western Powers Don't Know Afghanistan"Afghanistan's Mineral Reserves: A Treacherous BlessingQantara.de Dossier: Afghanistan

Libya's Border Triangle

Trouble Looming

The EU is supporting Libyan border security troops near Ghadames, but local members of the military complain of unclear structures and insufficient equipment. They put the blame on the government in Tripoli. Valerie Stocker reportsRead more

Two Years after Gaddafi: Are We Facing a Second Somalia?Libya: A Sanctuary for Radicals and Militants"Gaddafi's Harem": A Monstrous Nexus of Power, Sexuality and Violence

Two Years after the Overthrow of the Gaddafi Regime

Are We Facing a Second Somalia?

The Libyan writer and political analyst Mustafa el-Fituri describes here the most important challenges that Libya must now overcome on its way to democracyRead more

Libya: Militias Take Aim at Tripoli ProtestersLibya: A Sanctuary for Radicals and Militants"Gaddafi's Harem": A Monstrous Nexus of Power, Sexuality and Violence

Caroline Link's Film "Exit Marrakech"

Understanding the Cultural "Other"

With her exquisite and sensitive film "Exit Marrakech", Caroline Link demonstrates genuine openness towards Morocco – the beauty of its landscape, the social diversity, and the country's cultural wealth, as well as for its social extremes and contradictions. A review by Christoph LeistenRead more

Moroccan Cinema: The Difficulty with TaboosNabil Ayouch's Film ''God's Horses'': Ostracised and ForgottenWilliam S. Borroughs' "Naked Lunch": American Literature from Morocco

Politics

The Afghan Muddle

Farewell to Power Politics

Afghanistan's neighbours must not play power politics within the country, in the hope of gaining some slight advantage over one another. That path leads only to chaos, from which no country benefits. By Jaswant Singh, former long-time serving minister in IndiaMore

Interview with Hikmet Çetin: "Western Powers Don't Know Afghanistan"Afghanistan's Mineral Reserves: A Treacherous BlessingQantara.de Dossier: Afghanistan

Libya's Border Triangle

Trouble Looming

The EU is supporting Libyan border security troops near Ghadames, but local members of the military complain of unclear structures and insufficient equipment. They put the blame on the government in Tripoli. Valerie Stocker reportsMore

Two Years after Gaddafi: Are We Facing a Second Somalia?Libya: A Sanctuary for Radicals and Militants"Gaddafi's Harem": A Monstrous Nexus of Power, Sexuality and Violence

Two Years after the Overthrow of the Gaddafi Regime

Are We Facing a Second Somalia?

The Libyan writer and political analyst Mustafa el-Fituri describes here the most important challenges that Libya must now overcome on its way to democracyMore

Libya: Militias Take Aim at Tripoli ProtestersLibya: A Sanctuary for Radicals and Militants"Gaddafi's Harem": A Monstrous Nexus of Power, Sexuality and Violence

New Egyptian Constitution

Democracy Hangs by a Thread

The new draft constitution sets down the timetable for democratic transition on paper, but the police and military are standing guard at the station and controlling the points, writes Karim El-Gawhary in his commentaryMore

Egypt's Political Outlook: In Need of a Culture of CompromiseThe Egyptian Political Scientist Ammar Ali Hassan: ''The Constitution Is a Catastrophe''Egypt Expert Björn Bentlage: ''The Draft Constitution Is a Success''
more Politics »

Society

Journalism from the Middle East

Tall Tales from the Desert

A blogging Syrian lesbian, Libyan soldiers in a Viagra-fuelled frenzy, Tunisian women on a sexual Jihad: The blend of sex, Islam and war is failsafe bait for western media, which often fall for propaganda from the Middle East. Not all of the stories are hoaxes, but many of them are. By Sonja Zekri in CairoMore

Why We Should Pay More Attention to Arab MediaThe Arab Spring and the Media: Distorted ImagesQantara.de Dossier: Media in the Arab World

Dual Nationality in Germany

Double Standards in the Citizenship Debate

If a Turk receives and keeps German citizenship in addition to his own Turkish nationality, then he suffers an identity crisis. If a German were to additionally obtain Turkish citizenship however, this would be no problem at all. A commentary by Prof. Klaus J. BadeMore

Dual Citizenship in Germany: Why the Obligation to Choose is Damaging IntegrationGermany's Disputed Dual Citizenship Law: ''Everyone Must Be Able to Participate''Interview with Doug Saunders: ''Muslim Infiltration Is a Myth''

Interview with the Migration Expert Rita Süssmuth

Learning to Deal with Diversity

If Europe's immigration policy is not changed in the coming years, the continent's population will start to shrink dramatically in 2025. Annika Zeitler spoke to the German migration expert and former President of the Bundestag, Rita SüssmuthMore

The Lampedusa Tragedy: EU Refugee Policy Is Morally BankruptThe EU's Migration and Asylum Policy: Not in Line with European ValuesDossier: Policy on Refugees and Migration
more Society »

Culture

Yotam Feldman's Documentary "The Lab"

Palestinians as Guinea Pigs?

Is the Middle East conflict one of the fundaments of the successful Israeli weapons industry? This is the question posed by director Yotam Feldman in his film "The Lab" – which reveals some surprising connections. By Kersten KnippMore

Israel and the Arab Revolutions: The Arab Spring's Unlikely WinnerRabbi Arik Asherman of Rabbis for Human Rights: A Different Way of Understanding JudaismQantara.de Dossier: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Translations of Classical Islamic Literature

From the Emotional Orient to the Distortion of Islam

Why does classical Oriental poetry still sound so ornate to western ears? Blame the translations. These are still following the model of the eighteenth century, when the myth arose that Islamic poets were sentimental geniuses in the realm of emotion and romance. An essay by Stefan WeidnerMore

Interview with Claudia Ott: "Love is the Language of the Orient"Interview with Fuad Rifka: At Home in German ThoughtInterview with Salah Stétié: "The Arabic Language Is Outmoded"

The Egyptian Author Safaa Abdelmenem

"The Characters in My Novels Talk in Dialect"

Her love for the characters in her novels is boundless. The characters themselves provide the direction that the creative process takes. This is why Safaa Abdelmenem wrote her novel "Euphoric" completely in Egyptian, the language of her protagonists. By Mohamed El-BaalyMore

Egyptian Literature: New Departures, New VisionsQantara.de Dossier: Egyptian LiteratureQantara.de Dossier: Arabic Literature
more Culture »