Author: Marcus Michaelsen

An Iranian father with his three children at a playground in Tehran (photo: ISNA)

Family policy in Iran

Children for the revolution

With slogans like "An Iran of 150 million" and "More children, more happiness", the leadership in Tehran is calling for higher birth rates – a U-turn in its family planning policy. What is still unclear is how the desired increase in the size of the population would contribute to solving the country's economic and social problems. By Marcus MichaelsenMore

Living out of Wedlock in Iran: A Quiet Social RevolutionIranian cinema: Shining a light on inner conflictsTurning away from Shia in Iran: ''A Tsunami of Atheism''
People using the Internet in Islamabad (photo: B.K. Bangash/AP/dapd)

Internet censorship in Pakistan

Digital self-defence

The government in Pakistan is extending its system of Internet censorship and surveillance. But Pakistani Internet activists are resolute in their defence of freedom of information in the face of state interference and are receiving support from international human rights initiatives. By Marcus MichaelsenMore

Interview with Pakistani Media Expert Fauzia Shaheen: How Pakistan's Media Is Defending DemocracyWoman and Social Networks in Pakistan: Hostility on the InternetSaudi Arabia's foreign policy: Pilgrimage to PakistanThe Internet in Iran: Touchpad of the Revolution
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Power struggle in Iran

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Rouhani's balancing act

Hardliners in the Islamic Republic of Iran are intent on showing the president where the boundaries of his ambitious domestic reform agenda lie. By Marcus MichaelsenMore

Iran's Intellectuals and President Rouhani: When Freedom Becomes A PossibilityIran's New President Rouhani: Hopes for ReorientationIran's New President: Can Rouhani Deliver?
Irans Präsident Hassan Rohani während einer Rede vor dem Parlament in Teheran (photo: Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran and the Syria Conflict

Pragmatism instead of Confrontation

Iran has welcomed the Russian imitative for international control of Syria's chemical weapon arsenal. The fact that President Obama is now pushing for a diplomatic solution to the conflict is also good news for the moderate forces in Tehran, who do not wish to support Assad at any price. By Marcus MichaelsenMore

Iran's Role in the Syrian Civil War: Masters and ServantsSyria and Iran: Two Lone FriendsInterview with Hossein Mousavian: ''Iran Will Not Negotiate under Threat''
Wall of Evin prison, Tehran (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Iran before the Elections

Hunger Strikes and Love Letters

Four years after the Green Movement protests in Iran and right before presidential elections there, repression against political prisoners and their families is increasing. Maryam Mirza and Marcus Michaelsen reportMore

Roxana Saberi: ''The Syrian Situation Is Sending a Message to the Iranians''Iran in the Run-up to Presidential Elections: Electoral Poker in TehranIranian Journalists under Pressure: Arrest or Exile
Activists in Lahore holding placards at a rally on International Women's Day (photo: REUTERS/Mohsin Raza)

Woman and Social Networks in Pakistan

Hostility on the Internet

Women in Pakistan are being harassed and are encountering hostility via social networks on the Internet. At the same time, many women's rights activists see the web as a new way to further their work. By Marcus MichaelsenMore

Pakistan after the Attempt on Malala Yousafzai's Life: A Vibrant Symbol for A Troubled Country
Tahir ul-Qadri (photo: AFP)

The Pakistani Religious Cleric Tahir ul-Qadri

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Manic Street Preacher

His call for a "million man march" in favour of reforms and against corruption has propelled cleric Tahir ul-Qadri to the status of champion of Pakistan's middle classes. Although the protest in Islamabad apparently achieved little, it casts a spotlight on the population's growing displeasure and its dwindling faith in Pakistan's mainstream political parties. By Marcus MichaelsenMore

Imran Khan: Pakistan's Dream CatcherPakistan after the Attempt on Malala Yousafzai's Life: A Vibrant Symbol for A Troubled CountryMohammed Hanif: My Country, Caving to the Taliban
Pakistani cricketer turned politician and head of Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf or Movement for Justice Party Imran Khan waves to his supporters during a rally in Lahore, Pakistan, 30 October 2011 (photo: AP)

Imran Khan

Pakistan's Dream Catcher

In Pakistan, the former cricket star and populist Imran Khan is attracting an ever-growing number of followers. His rise underlines the widespread dissatisfaction with the current leadership. Marcus Michaelsen reports from IslamabadMore

Muhammad Iqbal: A Spiritual Bridge between East and WestTariq Ali on the Flood Catastrophe in Pakistan: Victims of Corruption and Enemy StereotypesInterview with Daniyal Mueenuddin: "Pakistan's Instability Is the World's Instability"
A woman casting her vote in Tehran, a military soldier with machine gun standing guard (photo: Reuters)

Parliamentary Elections in Iran

A Well-staged Show

The elections to the Iranian parliament on 2 March were strictly monitored by police and security forces. The regime is undoubtedly satisfied with the outcome and claims a healthy turnout. Reformers, on the other hand, have dismissed the elections as an "orchestrated farce". Marcus Michaelsen reportsMore

Power Struggle in Iran: The Might of OilAhmadinejad and Iran's Supreme Leader: Showdown in Tehran
A woman stands in front of a poster declaring that elections in Iran are for the protection of the country (photo: Mehr)

Iranian Journalists under Pressure

Arrest or Exile

In the run-up to the Iranian parliamentary elections, the regime in Tehran is showing signs of nervousness. More journalists are being arrested as the repression of civil society continues. Marcus Michaelsen reportsMore

Iran's Green Movement Two Years after the Protests: Simmering beneath the SurfaceThe Iranian Graphic Novel ''Zahra's Paradise'': An Artistic Insight into a Sinister WorldJournalism in Afghanistan: Warlord TV

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Most Recent Photo Essay

It all began in Dresden on 20 October 2014. Organised by a hitherto unknown movement calling itself "Pegida" (Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West), a small group of people took to the streets to demonstrate against what they saw as the Islamisation of the West. The banner reads "non violent and united against religious wars on German soil! PEGIDA". Although small, the march attracted a lot of attention in Germany and around the world.

Germans take to the streets: marching for and against Pegida

In the autumn of 1989, Dresden was one of the East German cities that became known worldwide for the peaceful "Monday demonstrations" against the government of the GDR that precipitated the fall of the Berlin Wall a few months later. One of the slogans chanted by the protesters at the time was "Wir sind das Volk" (We are the people). Twenty-five years on, a very different movement began organising weekly Monday demonstrations and chanting "Wir sind das Volk". In this photo gallery, we chart some of the reactions to Pegida and the developments relating to this anti-immigration and anti-Islam movement.