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Stealth wealth from the Middle East
How Assad's family and others have filled their European coffers
Dubbed the "Butcher of Hama", Syria's Rifaat al-Assad is accused of embezzling millions in European real estate. Like him, many regional rulers have preferred to keep their European properties quiet. Tom Allinson reports
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Politics, inequality and a lack of transparency
Coronavirus and the Middle East's ongoing state of emergency
Plagued by troubled state-citizen relationships on the one hand and conflict on the other, states in the Middle East could discover new uses for COVID-19 lockdown measures. By Abdalhadi Alijla
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COVID-19 in the Middle East
Women talk under coronavirus lockdown: "I want my life back"
How are people in the Middle East and North Africa dealing with the new coronavirus pandemic? Women from countries across the region, some of them war zones, share their worries – and hopes. By Diana Hodali
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Farewell to multilateralism in the Middle East
The death of Arab unity
The collapse of traditional multilateralism in the Arab world has been accompanied by a significant shift in American Middle East policy under President Donald Trump, writes Jasmine M. El-Gamal in her essay
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U.S. policy on Iran
Trump's fake "stability" premise
The United States justifies its policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran by accusing the nation of "destabilising" the region. But neither is stability the correct criteria for evaluation of Middle East politics, nor is Tehran essentially behaving any differently to its neighbours, says Ulrich von Schwerin
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Reconstruction in Syria
Frustrating Assadʹs plans for a new state
Although regime apologists are fond of asserting that the war in Syria is over, wary investors, an ongoing U.S. trade embargo, the pariah status of its ally Iran, not to mention galloping inflation, mean it could be years before the devasted country sees any real reconstruction. Analysis by Ghiath Bilal
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Interview with anthropologist Madawi Al-Rasheed
"Death penalties are the norm in Saudi Arabia"
The Middle East Eye is reporting that religious activists are once again to be executed in Saudi Arabia. Mass executions continue to increase in the country, says Saudi social anthropologist Madawi Al-Rasheed in an interview with Nermin Ismail and Hassan Hussain
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Qatar′s new National Museum – a rose in the desert
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Qatar′s new National Museum – a rose in the desert
The Arab desert state of Qatar recently opened its own spectacular national museum in Doha, part of an extensive reconstruction plan for the small country situated between Saudi Arabia and Iran. By Sabine Oelze
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Weathering the Saudi blockade
Qatar thrives under pressure
The blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in the summer of 2017 was a shock for the small emirate. Meanwhile, however, it seems to have more than recovered: the economy is growing and the leadership is bursting with determination and self-confidence. By Anchal Vohra
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Western diplomacy in crisis
What to do about Khashoggi?
The abduction or even murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi would constitute a dangerous escalation in the Saudi government's campaign to clamp down on its critics. According to Guido Steinberg, the West should react with as much determination as it did towards Moscow following events in Salisbury
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Geopolitical alliances in the Middle East
Religionʹs waning role
Todayʹs turmoil in the Middle East is rooted largely in historical legacies and poor leadership, but the influence of religion hasnʹt helped. So it is good news that, from Saudi Arabia to Israel to Iraq, religion is increasingly being superseded by strategic and security interests in shaping regional affairs. By Shlomo Ben-Ami