Politics

Robert Fisk (photo: imago/Xinhua) Interview with Robert Fisk on the War in Syria

A War That Won't End

President Bashar al-Assad's troops in Syria are gaining ground. British Middle East reporter Robert Fisk met some of them when he visited the front lines earlier this month. Interview by Michael Hartlep More »


Saleh Diab (photo: private copyright) Interview with Saleh Diab

''Egypt Doesn't Need Dollars, It Needs a Clear Plan''

Egyptian entrepreneur and publisher Saleh Diab is concerned over the future of his country. Foreign investors are being discouraged by political conditions, and the nation lacks a vision for the future, he says. Interview by Kersten Knipp More »


Protests on Tahrir Square, Cairo (photo: Reuters) The Aftermath of the Arab Spring

The Changing Map of Middle East Power

The eruption of the Arab revolts put power relations among Middle Eastern countries in a state of flux, and both winners and losers have emerged. But, given that the strengths and weaknesses of most of the actors are highly contingent, the regional balance of power remains highly fluid. By Volker Perthes More »


Lybians demonstrating to remove al Ghaddafi-era representatives from official positions (photo: Reuters) Justice in Libya

Lacklustre Approach to Reforms

Establishing a democratic constitutional state in Libya is proving to be a painstakingly slow process. This is partly because a reform of the legal system is long overdue, and also as a result of the vigilante justice administered by armed brigades. Beat Stauffer reports More »


Journalists protest for the freedom of the press in Turkey (photo: dpa) Freedom of the Press in Turkey

Tied to the Leash of the State

According to information from "Reporters without Borders", there are more journalists imprisoned in Turkey today than there ever have been since the end of the military regime in 1983. The freedom of the Turkish press is kept within very narrow limits. Yet, is this really such a new phenomenon? Fatih Cicek offers some answers More »


Man registering to vote (photo: MEHR) Iran in the Run-up to Presidential Elections

Electoral Poker in Tehran

The presidential poll this coming June is already shaping up as a final duel between the Islamic Republic's two longest-serving politicians – but also as a directional decision with an open outcome. Marcus Michalsen reports More »


People help victims after an explosion in Reyhanli District, Hatay, Turkey, 11 May 2013. At least 13 people were killed and 22 wounded following explosions on 11 May in southern Turkey near the Syrian border (photo: picture-alliance/dpa) After the Bomb Attacks in Reyhanli

No Scruples in the Battle for Syria

Whoever was responsible for the double bomb attack in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli last weekend, it is part of a perfidious strategy to show the Turkish people that their nation has long been involved in the battle over Syria's future. Commentary by Jürgen Gottschlich More »


An array of Turkish print media (photo: Thomas Seibert/DW) Turkey's Media and the NSU Trial in Germany

Comparisons with the Situation at Home

Turkish media closely watched the opening of the NSU trial in Munich on Monday. Newspapers describe the feelings of the victims' families and the main defendant's attitude in court. Thomas Seibert reports from Istanbul More »