Syria
All countries-
Islamic State (IS)
A totalitarian, expansive and hegemonic project
Are we underestimating the scope of Islamic State (IS) by referring to it as a "terrorist militia"? IS raises taxes, recruits soldiers, pays officials and is keeping oil wells in operation. According to Volker Perthes, it would be more accurate to call it a jihadist nation-building project
-
Syrian refugees in Turkey
Time for Turkey's allies to rally round
Turkey has quietly taken in one-and-a-half million Syrian refugees, yet assistance from Europe has thus far been shamefully inadequate. According to Stefan Kornelius, both the EU and NATO are leaving an ally in the lurch
-
The Arab Spring and its enemies
The end of all hope
Ultimately, the Arab Spring was a failure because the movements fighting for freedom were faced with too many enemies who sought to quash the revolutions and thwart the efforts of the region's peoples to achieve greater democracy. An essay by the Syrian dissident Akram al-Bunni
-
Interview with the Syrian writer Samar Yazbek
Divided society, divided souls
Samar Yazbek is a rebel. From an early age, she rose up against societal conventions, demanding her right to lead a free and self-determined life as a woman. When the revolution erupted in Syria in 2011, she was on the front lines of the struggle, but subsequently had to leave the country because of death threats. Claudia Kramatschek talked to her
-
Outside intervention in Syria
Wanted: moderate, reliable rebels for fight against IS
The US wants to bolster the Syrian rebels in the fight against IS. But which of the groups is it supposed to support? Kristin Helberg examines three reasons why the search for suitable allies on the ground is not as straightforward as it seems
-
Yazidis and Kurds in Iraq
Are we arming the right people?
We are told that the Kurds saved the Yazidis from IS terrorists, but the truth is far more complex than that. Yazidis also suffer frequent discrimination in Kurdish areas. Who can guarantee that German weapons will not one day be turned on this minority? By Patrick Franke
-
British fatwa against IS
Breaking the spell of a poisonous ideology
Leading British Muslims have issued a fatwa against the terrorist group Islamic State. The imams are hoping that it will help change the minds of some of the group's supporters. By Kersten Knipp
-
Assad and Islamic State
The two faces of terror in Syria
Fighting the war on terror together with Syria's President Assad would be not only cynical and morally bankrupt, but also a tactical mistake. As long as he is in power there will be jihadists in the region, because the Syrian regime has been using them for years to secure its grip on power, writes Kristin Helberg
-
Book review: Larissa Bender's "Inside Views from Syria"
Rage and resignation in war-torn Syria
Larissa Bender's "Innenansichten aus Syrien" (Inside Views from Syria) is a compilation of very personal accounts written by Syrian authors. It provides a subjective but precious insight into a life that outsiders can hardly imagine. By Jannis Hagmann
-
Shifting alliances in the Middle East
My enemy's enemy is my friend
The successes of IS militias are turning the West's established concept of friend and foe on its head. Former rogue nations are emerging as strategic partners, and declared terrorists are becoming allies. By Karim El-Gawhary
-
Iraqi crisis
A UN protection force, not arms shipments
If the threat of genocide in northern Iraq is to be averted and the advance of IS militias stopped, an international protection force must be dispatched to the region, says security expert Andreas Zumach
-
Three years after the Arab Spring
Self-criticism and genuine dialogue required
Arab Islamists and secularists fought alongside each other in the Arab Spring revolutions. But once they had removed the hated despots from power, they became embroiled in political trench warfare and revealed an astonishing lack of democratic maturity, says renowned Moroccan analyst Ali Anouzla