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Mask diplomacy and power politics
Erdogan's foreign policy in the shadow of coronavirus
In the age of corona, Ankara's regional power strategy is twofold: on the one hand, Turkey is engaged in a charm offensive to revamp its political image, which has suffered lately in certain quarters. On the other, President Erdogan is pursuing a tough policy of interests backed up by military force. By Ronald Meinardus
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Obituary: Tunisian author Albert Memmi
Adieu, Albert!
Albert Memmi, Tunisian author and pioneer of a sociology of de-colonisation, died on 22 May 2020 in Paris. He was nearly 100 years old. He was the last of a generation of Maghreb novelists writing in French. A personal obituary by Regina Keil-Sagawe
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Beirut on the brink
Regardless of corona, Lebanon is at economic breaking point
Lebanon's economy is imploding and with it social stability. While the country’s politicians understand the depth of the crisis, they have used the coronavirus lockdown, argues Maha Yahya, as an chance to settle old scores and – following months of popular rejection – stage a comeback
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Book review: Riad Sattouf’s graphic novel "The Arab of the Future"
Between worlds
Despite his main focus being on his childhood and youth, spent between East and West, Riad Sattouf also describes the current state of the Arab world in his much-lauded graphic novel series "The Arab of the Future". By Schayan Riaz
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First INSTEX transaction with Iran
Trade as an obstacle course
Germany and other member states of the European Union are for the first time making use of the so-called INSTEX mechanism to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States. By Birgit Svensson in Cairo
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After the Berlin conference
Libya's war for war’s sake
Libyan political analyst Faraj Alasha argues that the Berlin conference on the Libyan war did nothing to change the fact that there is no political solution to end the war raging in the suburbs of southern Tripoli
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French nuclear tests in the Maghreb 60 years on
Delayed fallout in Algeria
Decades after the first French nuclear test in Algeria, thousands of victims are still waiting for compensation. To date only 51 claims have been filed under French legislation introduced ten years ago – and only one Algerian compensated. By Elizabeth Bryant
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E3, Russia and China
Solving the nuclear deal stalemate with Iran
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran is in jeopardy. European governments should use the JCPOA’s dispute-resolution mechanism both to pursue immediate measures to de-escalate regional tensions and to explore a follow-up agreement – or an alternative, should the current deal collapse. By Volker Perthes
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Paris and Rabat in diplomatic stand-off
Is France losing its backyard in North Africa?
Having seen a sharp decline in its influence in Tunisia and Algeria, France is eyeing China and Spain’s growing economic presence in Morocco with concern. Is Paris about to lose its "backyard" in North Africa altogether? An analysis by political scientist Mohamed Taifouri for Qantara.de
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Album review: Soundwalk Collective with Patti Smith – "Mummer Love"
Harar awakening
What do New York City poet and musician Patti Smith, the late French poet Arthur Rimbaud, composer Philip Glass, Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke and the Sufi Group of Sheikh Ibrahim have in common? After listening to the album "Mummer Love" from Soundwalk Collective, you may begin to find the connection. Review by Richard Marcus
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The decades-long rule of Syria's al-Assad dynasty
Psychogram of a Syrian dictator
With "Assad or We Burn the Country", Sam Dagher has furnished the world with some genuine ammunition against the Syrian regime's on-going campaign of disinformation. The only Western journalist to have lived in Damascus from 2012, Dagher conducted meticulous research to safeguard his recounting of almost 50 years of Syrian history. Moritz Baumstiger read the book
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Essay by Islam expert Gilles Kepel
The new jihad and its mentors
Islamist attacks such as those that took place in Paris this last autumn evidence a new kind of perpetrator. In place of individual terror organisations, networks appear to have emerged that sermonise on the cultural rift and provoke radical acts. By Gilles Kepel