Not so splendid isolation
Erdogan's geopolitical nightmare
Berlinale 2019: "Born in Evin"
Confronting a very personal trauma
The Republic of Iran turns forty
A theocracy at the crossroads
"Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen"
Questing for a lost homeland

Not so splendid isolation

Erdogan's geopolitical nightmare

Turkey’s emergence as a regional power has provoked suspicion, shaking the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond. As a result, relations with many regional players have deteriorated over the last decade. With diplomatic ties to the West currently at an historic low, is Turkey likely to end up out on a limb? By Stasa SalacaninRead more

Arab reactions to the coup aftermath in Turkey: The problem with role modelsWestern diplomacy in crisis: What to do about Khashoggi?The geopolitics of the Syrian conflict: Getting Erdogan on board

Berlinale 2019: "Born in Evin"

Confronting a very personal trauma

When Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979, he persecuted his opponents with severity. Maryam Zaree was born in a prison for political prisoners. With her film "Born in Evin" she breaks her silence. By Laura DoingRead more

Obituary: dissident Ebrahim Yazdi: An emblematic figure of Iranian politics bows outInterview with Mahvash Sabet: Lyrical flightsQantara dossier: Iranian Cinema

The Republic of Iran turns forty

A theocracy at the crossroads

In its 40th year, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in a state of disintegration, says one of the country's strategists. The theocracy has arrived at a crossroads and the world cannot be indifferent to its future direction. Essay by Ali SadrzadehRead more

Forty years on, Iran's revolutionaries have mixed feelingsProtests in Iran: An own-goal for the hardlinersProtests in Iran: No revolution in sight

Berlinale 2018: "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen"

Questing for a lost homeland

In the "Valley of the Clueless" in Saxony, where Arab contract workers were once employed alongside GDR factory workers, East Germans and refugees meet for a peculiar trip down memory lane. Rene Wildangel reports from this year's BerlinaleRead more

Official "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen" websiteBerlinale 2018: ″Central Airport THF″ by Karim Ainouz: Lives lived in waitingGermany′s Berlinale: Where film meets reality

Politics

President of Turkey and ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party chair Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo: Getty Images/A. Altan)

Not so splendid isolation

Erdogan's geopolitical nightmare

Turkey’s emergence as a regional power has provoked suspicion, shaking the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond. As a result, relations with many regional players have deteriorated over the last decade. With diplomatic ties to the West currently at an historic low, is Turkey likely to end up out on a limb? By Stasa SalacaninMore

Arab reactions to the coup aftermath in Turkey: The problem with role modelsWestern diplomacy in crisis: What to do about Khashoggi?The geopolitics of the Syrian conflict: Getting Erdogan on board
The Taliban at the Moscow talks on 09.11.2019 (photo: picture-alliance/Sputnik/Astapkovich/dpa)

Negotiating peace with the Taliban

Any deal will do

The tension among Kabul's political elite is palpable. Washington has been conducting negotiations for a peace deal with the insurgent Taliban in the Gulf emirate of Qatar for quite some time now, and the government in Kabul feels side-lined. Yet regardless of who is sitting around the negotiating table, almost all players in Afghanistan agree: the need for peace is urgent. By Emran FerozMore

Taliban take centre stage as Kabul cut out of peace talks Interview with Thomas Ruttig: Afghanistan's democracy in reverse gearRadical Islamism: Negotiating with jihadists?
Supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran (photo: picture-alliance/AP/V. Salemi)

The Republic of Iran turns forty

A theocracy at the crossroads

In its 40th year, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in a state of disintegration, says one of the country's strategists. The theocracy has arrived at a crossroads and the world cannot be indifferent to its future direction. Essay by Ali SadrzadehMore

Forty years on, Iran's revolutionaries have mixed feelingsProtests in Iran: An own-goal for the hardlinersProtests in Iran: No revolution in sight
The 212 Alumni: thousands of Muslim hardliners protested on 2 December 2016 over Ahokʹs alleged blasphemy. Here presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto can be seen signing 212 during the commemoration of the ʹ212 Alumniʹ demonstration in Jakarta on 02.12.2018 (photo: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/A. Raharjo)

Abusing blasphemy legislation

Indonesia's slide towards identity politics

Indonesiaʹs much vaunted Pancasila system appears to be faltering. Recent years have seen a spate of blasphemy convictions, most notably that of Ahok, ex-governor of Jakarta. Amending existing legislation is not, however, on the agenda of electioneering politicians keen to mobilise conservative Muslim voters. By Rafiqa Qurrata AʹyunMore

Islam in Indonesia: The agents of changeIndonesia′s gubernatorial elections: The tolerance litmus testInterview with Fritz Schulze: "Islam is deeply rooted in Indonesian democracy"
more Politics »

Society

Women protesting in Kabul (photo: DW/H. Sirat)

Peace talks with the Taliban

Where are Afghanistan's women?

To ensure the interests of women are also taken into account in the peace talks with the Taliban, they must participate on an equal footing in the negotiations, their organisation and the implementation of the peace process. By Anne-Marie Slaughter and Ashley JacksonMore

Negotiating peace with the Taliban: Any deal will doInterview with Thomas Ruttig: Afghanistan's democracy in reverse gearNegotiating with the Taliban for girls′ education: Treading carefully
Beer from the mostly Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank (photo: picture-alliance/Nur Photo/M. Alhaj)

Beer from the Holy Land

Kosher and halal

Despite the political conflicts, a Christian Arab family has been successfully brewing beer in the Palestinian territories for about 25 years. The brewery takes both Muslim and Jewish dietary stipulations into account. Jamal Saad paid a visitMore

The Taybeh Vinfest, West Bank: Turning water into wineLebanese vineyards: Wine-making is an artAlcohol consumption in Islamic countries: The Devil's brew in great demand
Statue of Frederick the Great at Zinna Monastery (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Book review: Joseph Croitoru's "Die Deutschen und der Orient"

Between contempt and fascination

In his new book, Joseph Croitoru shows how German politics, academia and literature all grappled with the Orient in the eighteenth century. By successfully weaving together these different threads, he provides an overview of attitudes towards the East in Germany during the Age of Enlightenment. By Melanie Christina MohrMore

Qantara dossier: "Travels in the Orient"Germans and Ottomans in the First World War: A partnership of privilegeGoethe and the Orient: Why did the poet's mind wander to far-off climes?
Opening of the African community centre in Jerusalem in 1996 attended by the author (photo: private)

Jerusalemʹs Africans

Alienation and counter-alienation

Yasser Qous, son of African-Palestinians, explains the feeling of foreignness experienced by Africans in 1970s Jerusalem and the alienation of African parishioners from each other at the timeMore

Interview with Mauritanian human rights activist Biram Dah Abeid: "Time to end Arab racism"Emancipation and music: Black Tunisiansʹ bitter heritagePhoto essay: In Mauritania, slavery's last bastion
more Society »

Culture

German actress, film-maker and author Aryam Zaree (photo: Stefan Kluter)

Berlinale 2019: "Born in Evin"

Confronting a very personal trauma

When Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979, he persecuted his opponents with severity. Maryam Zaree was born in a prison for political prisoners. With her film "Born in Evin" she breaks her silence. By Laura DoingMore

Obituary: dissident Ebrahim Yazdi: An emblematic figure of Iranian politics bows outInterview with Mahvash Sabet: Lyrical flightsQantara dossier: Iranian Cinema
Trailer of Florian Kunertʹs "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen" (source: YouTube)

Berlinale 2018: "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen"

Questing for a lost homeland

In the "Valley of the Clueless" in Saxony, where Arab contract workers were once employed alongside GDR factory workers, East Germans and refugees meet for a peculiar trip down memory lane. Rene Wildangel reports from this year's BerlinaleMore

Official "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen" websiteBerlinale 2018: ″Central Airport THF″ by Karim Ainouz: Lives lived in waitingGermany′s Berlinale: Where film meets reality
Palestinian-British singer Reem Kelani (photo: Alexia Villard)

Album review: Reem Kelaniʹs "Why Do I Love Her?"

Sweet discomfort

As a prelude to the album she's currently working on, "This Land is Your Land", Reem Kelani has just released the four track EP "Why Do I Love Her" – recorded live at the Tabernacle in London. By Richard MarcusMore

Album review: Reem Kelani′s ″Live at the Tabernacle″: Cultivating fusionReem Kelani – "Sprinting Gazelle": "I defend my right to defend my right"Official Reem Kelani website
Egyptian artist Soad Abdelrasoul at her exhibition opening in Cairo's Mashrabiya Gallery (photo: Jacob Wirtschafter)

Portrait of the Egyptian artist Soad Abdelrasoul

Creating her own universe

With her "Virtual Garden" exhibition at the trend-setting Mashrabiya Gallery in downtown Cairo, the 45-year-old painter Soad Abdelrasoul has confirmed her place as one of Egyptʹs leading contemporary artists. By Mahmoud SaberMore

Portrait of the Lebanese-American artist Helen Zughaib: "We are more similar than dissimilar""Human Cargo" art project: Plumbing the depths of refugee pain4th Qalandiya International art exhibition: Showing for Palestinian solidarity
more Culture »

In brief

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Land of nomads and desert: Mauritaniaʹs extremely hot and arid climate explains its very low population density. In 2009, the country had just 4 million inhabitants spread over 1 million square kilometres. The Adrar plateau, located in the north of the country near Atar, is known for its gorges and dunes

Mauritania, land of desert and contrasts

Mauritania straddles the transition between the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, its population equally divided between Africans and Arabs. By Pascal Mannaerts

"Youssef Chahine again and forever": 1 - 30 March, Berlin's Kino Arsenal

Still from Youssef Chahine's short "Al Kahera Menawara be Ahlaha" (ʹCairo as seen by Chahineʹ, 1991; source: www.arsenal-berlin.de)

Celebrating the conclusion of a comprehensive restoration project to salvage Chahineʹs work, Arsenalʹs extensive retrospective features 20 works – 19 full-length films and one short – Al Kahera Menawara be Ahlaha (ʹCairo as seen by Chahineʹ, 1991). Twelve films, six of which recently became part of Arsenalʹs archive, will be screened in their original analogue format.More

A different take on the Islamic Republic

In the fifth and final part of the series, Dutch filmmaker and photographer Reinier van Oorsouw travels through the beautiful Alborz mountain range. Here he snowboards at Dizin Ski Resort and explores the Alamut Valley. As happens throughout his trip, he’s warmly invited by local people to dance, to eat, and to learn more about their lives.More

When love knows no bounds: the story of Klaus and Samah

Klaus Werner Pfaff and Samah Al-Jundi, a German-Syrian couple in Eschwege (photo: DW/J. Thiel)

Samah is a Syrian refugee, Klaus is a German pensioner. The two got married three years ago. But not everyone accepts their unusual relationship.More

"Capernaum": Oscar contender for Best Foreign Film

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki's CAPERNAUM ("Chaos") tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the "crime" of giving him life.More

Jose Casanova: The principles of religious pluralism

Specifying three principles, religious sociology expert Jose Casanova from Georgetown University argues that tolerance needs to begin with the recognition of religious diversity and plurality.More

Berlin's first public Arabic library

Meet the Syrian student keeping Arabic culture alive in the heart of Berlin.More

Qantara dossier: Mysticism & Sufism

Dancing dervishes in Istanbul (photo: Gurcan Ozturk/AFP/Getty Images)

Sufism is a liberal interpretation of Islam that incorporates mystical traditions and rites. In our dossier we present several well-known representatives of Sufism and shed light on the historical dimension of Sufi Islam.More