Qatar
All countries-
Gulf State economies
The expat bonus
How should policymakers in the Middle East′s Gulf States manage their countries′ large expatriate workforces? In Saudi Arabia, foreign nationals account for roughly one-third of the population. In Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, nine out of every ten residents is an expatriate. By Sami Mahroum
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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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Iran and Saudi Arabia:
A plea for Islamic tolerance
The escalating rivalries and animosities between Iran and Saudi Arabia have nothing to do with the Sunni-Shia divide in the Islamic theology, even less with the common fate and destiny of Iranians and Arabs among other nations in the region. An analysis by Hamid Dabashi
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Chronicle of a war foretold
Redefining the "Syrian" conflict
The war waging in Syria, hijacked by opposing ideologies just months after it began, has had an irrevocable impact on the Syrian people. Although not much is heard of Syrians outside the refugee camps, Americans, Europeans, Russians, Turks, Iranians, and Arabs hold meeting after meeting to agree and disagree, coalesce and collide, in an attempt to halt the ″Syrian conflict″. By Hakim Khatib
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Interview with Rafik Schami
"Escape is a life-saver"
In conversation with Ruth Renee Reif, the renowned writer Rafik Schami gives his views on the European refugee crisis and has sharp criticism for the West's political dealings with the Assad regime in Syria
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At the bottom of the heap: foreign construction workers in Qatar
Qatar is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world and will be playing host to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The sporting grounds and stadiums are being constructed by an army of workers from South-East Asia – often under catastrophic working and living conditions.
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Interview with Nader Othman, deputy PM of the Syrian interim government
People want professionals, not Facebook heroes
The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces and the interim government it has formed have been subject to international criticism. They are regarded as ineffective, disunited and lacking support in Syria. Kristin Helberg spoke to the deputy prime minister of the interim government, Nader Othman, about elected provincial councils, progress and why Syria now needs engineers, not heroes
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Relations between Saudi Arabia and Egypt
Conditional support
Relations between the Gulf States and Egypt are undergoing readjustment. Saudi Arabia will continue to support Egypt, but the conditions for this support have changed. By Matthias Sailer
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Strategies for combating IS
Plea for a wide-angled view of the Arab world
In spite of all the hysteria surrounding IS, the terrorist militia is just one symptom of a changing region where repressive despots and militant Islamists are rising up once again and goading each other on. An essay by Karim El-Gawhary
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The jihadi fighters of IS
"Jihadism has become a German phenomenon"
German jihadists are participating in Islamic State's war of terror. Security forces fear they could also pose a threat to the country. Guido Steinberg is an expert on Islam and Islamism. He has written a book about Germany's jihadi fighters. Bettina Marx spoke to him about the country's home-grown fighters
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Military strikes against IS
Fragile alliance
The fight against IS is bringing East and West closer together and uniting the Arabs at the same time. However, it is possible that this alliance will only be of short duration. By Birgit Svensson in Baghdad
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Qatar's foreign policy
Little emirate, big ambition
This week, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani paid his first state visit to Germany since being named emir of Qatar after his father's abdication in June 2013. The 34-year-old emir is one of the Middle East's most influential leaders, but his political course is controversial. By Anne Allmeling