The Egyptian President's Power Gain
When Mohammed Morsi assumed his presidential duties six months ago, he was derided as a "spare tyre". Now Time Magazine is running a front-page story on the man it calls "the most important man in the Middle East". But despite his burgeoning power, Morsi will not be able to govern in a way that ignores the interests and concerns of a highly politicised nation. Commentary by Thomas Demmelhuber More »
Political Power Struggle in Egypt
Demonstrations for and against Egyptian President Morsi took place this weekend in Cairo. Egyptians face the uneasy choice of supporting a constitutional draft or starting the process over from the beginning. Matthias Sailer reports from Cairo More »
Palestinian UN Initiative
No one can expect the Palestinians to wait for all eternity for their own state, while Israel's rightwing government uses settlement expansion to create its own version of the facts. A commentary by René Wildangel More »
Female Rights and the Arab Spring
Now, as the dust of the Arab Spring revolutions begins to settle, women – who stood shoulder to shoulder with men in defying tyranny – are finding themselves marginalized and excluded from decision-making. By Hoda Badran More »
Morsi Expands Executive Power in Egypt
After his diplomatic success in Gaza, President Mohammed Morsi has begun to move against the judiciary and expand his power in Egypt, all with the support of the military. The opposition has taken to the streets. By Naomi Conrad More »
Iraqi-American Relations
Obama's re-election did not exactly spark a wave of enthusiasm in Iraq. Many Iraqis are disappointed that the US President failed to keep the promises he once made for the country on the Tigris River. The Maliki government's attempts to curry favour with Russia of late have also cast a pall on Iraq's relationship with the USA. An update from Baghdad by Birgit Svensson More »
Capital Punishment Returns to the Turkish Agenda
Recent remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan that Turkey might consider reintroducing the death penalty are not only indicative of the dire state of Turkish-EU relations. The move has also been perceived as a way of blackmailing almost 700 pro-Kurdish hunger strikers, whose protest has just been brought to an end. Fatma Kayabal reports from Istanbul More »
Israel and the Gaza Crisis
Lev Grinberg, Professor of Political Sociology at the Ben Gurion University in Tel Aviv, says Israeli intervention in the Gaza conflict is short-sighted. Exclusive recourse to military force blocks opportunities for peaceful negotiations in the long-term, and plays politically into the hands of Hamas, he says More »
The Gaza Conflict in the Wake of the Arab Spring
Egypt and Turkey, two regional powers in the Middle East, are getting actively involved in the Gaza conflict. Not only have they condemned Israel's attacks on Gaza, they are also looking for a long-term ceasefire solution. This is creating a new regional diplomacy and reconfiguring the relationship between the region and Europe and the USA, writes Karim El-Gawhary More »
Gaza Conflict
While Israel's air offensive in the Gaza Strip may have weakened Hamas militarily, it has also enhanced the group's standing on the international stage. The US and the Europeans are looking for ways to open dialogue with the new Arab world. Unconditional solidarity with Israel is no longer guaranteed. Commentary by Tomas Avenarius More »
