Iraq
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Ali Bader and ″Al-Kafira″
When Fatima became Sophie
Bader has achieved significant acclaim both in Arabic and in translation as an author of philosophical fiction. The Iraqi writer′s twelfth novel, ″Al-Kafira″ (The Infidel Woman), published last year, however, signals a major break with his previous body of work. By Marcia Lynx Qualey
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Panama Paper revelations
The Emirs of Panama
The autocratic Gulf states in particular are famous for their covert business style. It′s something they share with Panama′s offshore operations. Karim El-Gawhary reports on the involvement of prominent Arab politicians and businessmen in dubious financial transactions
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Women′s writing workshop in Basra, Iraq
Writing to survive
A writing workshop in the southern Iraqi city of Basra is encouraging women to use words to process their often traumatic experiences of a country scarred by destruction and conflict. But the future of the project now hangs in the balance due to funding problems. By Birgit Svensson
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Reforming the Arab security sector
A plea for transparency
In many Arab countries, comprehensive democratisation and national reconciliation is needed if urgently needed security sector reforms are to have the desired effect, says Yezid Sayigh, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut
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The crisis of the Arab nation state
Reconstructed reality
A world war turned the Ottoman Arab provinces into modern nation states a century ago, but today they are being unravelled by many, highly localised wars that have yet to run their course. Their causes long predate the Arab Spring, asserts Yezid Sayigh
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Fighting terror with music in Iraq
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Interview with radical Islam expert Peter Neumann
Islamic State′s looting economy
The political scientist and Islamism researcher Peter Neumann sees the so-called "Islamic State" as a "hybrid of insurgency group and state", the success of which is based on constant expansion and a looting-based economy. Interview by Michael Erhardt
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House of healing
Doctors Without Borders' (MSF) hospital for reconstructive surgery in Amman is the final hope for many of those injured in conflicts in the Middle East. Tania Kramer reports from Jordan
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Saudi Arabia and Iran
Defeat Islamic State - or become it
The dawn of 2016 has brought a new round of doomsday predictions that Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al Saud family cannot sustain its autocratic grip on power. The kingdom, pessimists argue, is caught in a perfect storm with economic problems, social challenges and foreign policy crises all converging at the same time. By James M. Dorsey
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Trauma therapy in Iraqi Kurdistan
″It is possible to build a peaceful society″
Iraq′s autonomous region of Kurdistan is home to approximately 2 million refugees from various backgrounds and religions. Since 2005, the Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights has been providing medical, psychotherapeutic and social support to survivors of torture, persecution and violence. Katja Dombrowski discussed matters with Salah Ahmad, the Foundation′s founder and president
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Between Tigris and Euphrates
Mesopotamia: the cradle of civilisation
The Middle East is not only the scene of terrible violence, but also the birthplace of modern civilisation. It is high time we recalled the historical significance of ancient Mesopotamian culture, realising that current events in the Middle East are also a threat to our own identity. By Melanie Christina Mohr
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Tony Blair and the Iraq war
A case of smoke and mirrors
We don't need to wait for Chilcot, Blair lied to us about Iraq, asserts Peter Oborne, former political editor-in-chief with the British "Daily Telegraph"