Author: Arnold Hottinger

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Voting in Iraq – voters at a Baghdad polling station (photo: ABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Parliamentary elections in Iraq

Shifting towards Iran?

At the forthcoming parliamentary poll in Iraq, the question is who will gain the upper hand – pro-Iranian Shias or pro-western forces? A pre-election analysis by Arnold HottingerMore

The Iraq War fifteen years on: "America destroyed my country"Murder and kidnapping in Iraq: An inexorable tideFighting over Kurdish independence: A political fiasco
The Orient in flux: in 1798 Napoleon′s troops landed in Egypt and dealt a stunning blow to the Muslim Mamluks (source: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Enlightenment in the Islamic world

Refuting the 'westernisation' narrative

In his latest work, essayist and seasoned correspondent Christopher de Bellaigue presents the Islamic world in the 19th century in a new light. His main thrust? The Islamic Middle East did indeed experience its own genuine Enlightenment. By Arnold HottingerMore

Islam and enlightenment: Beware of the myth Interview with Angelika Neuwirth: "The claim that Islam lacks an Enlightenment is an age-old cliche"Volker Perthes: "The end of the Middle East, as we know it": The end of Sykes-Picot?

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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