Syria
All countries-
Sunni-Shia tension
Islam versus Islam
The religious element of the conflicts raging in the Middle East today is a major reason why they are proving so difficult to defuse. An essay by Shahid Javed Burki
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Settling into life in Turkey - with help
A patchwork of aid groups and independent volunteers have assembled in Izmir, Turkey, to help refugees restart their lives. The port city is now home to 85,000 Syrian asylum-seekers. By Diego Cupolo
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Reconstruction of Aleppo
″Others destroy and we rebuild″
The battle-torn city of Aleppo lies in ruins. Nonetheless, former residents of the city and experts located in Budapest are already working towards the reconstruction of the 5000 year old metropolis. By Iris Mostegel
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Syria conflict
Feigning helplessness
Claims by Western diplomats that the Syria conflict can only be solved politically and not militarily are misleading. While the West foots the bill for the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the Assad regime, Russian President Putin creates a situation on the ground to further its interests. A commentary by Markus Bickel
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Agatha Christie and the Orient
When murder came to Mesopotamia
Hydrangea hedges, village gossip and high tea form the backdrop for Agatha Christie′s detective stories, which, sold in their millions worldwide, shape our image of England. But many of these typically English stereotypes and settings were actually created in the Middle East. By Christine Pfeilschifter
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Turkey: interview with Bilgin Ayata
No haven for refugees
Turkey′s military has been leading operations in the east of the country for months. The clashes have cost hundreds of lives so far. Ceyda Nurtsch spoke to Bilgin Ayata, assistant professor of political sociology at Basel University, about the political motivation behind the conflict and its impact on Turkey′s citizens
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Syria and Geneva III
The great pretenders
As the Geneva III peace talks get underway, there is no sign that the conference will secure an end to the violence in Syria. The Assad regime can participate safe in the knowledge that it has nothing to fear. A commentary by Bente Scheller
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Yemen: freedom of expression
The intervention of a Nobel Laureate
Now and then an Arab author will write a novel that doesn′t meet with the approval of one or two influential people. When that happens, the state reveals its true face – the ugly side to which the general public and the international community don′t usually have access, hidden as it is beneath inches of makeup and artifice. By Wajdi al-Ahdal
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Islamic State
Know your enemy
There is much the West does not understand about its latest enemy, in which it faces more than ″just″ extremists. IS ideology thrives on hatred, anger and resentment – the most effective response would therefore be to introduce and nurture values of tolerance, unity, mutual co-operation and peace. By Abdel Bari Atwan
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Integration in Germany
On the right track - one refugee's story
Alaa Houd has been through a lot. Fleeing Syria, he survived the hazardous Aegean crossing and an odyssey through German refugee hostels along the way. Distress and anguish about the wife and child left behind in his war-torn homeland were his constant companions. Now, finally, he has a new home in Bonn. By Sebastian Schug
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Five years of Arab Spring
The butterfly effect
It was the flap of a butterfly wing that was to trigger a storm in Europe. Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in 2010 sent a clear signal: things were about to change. Despite many setbacks, the impact of this message is still being felt. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Experts track down stolen art from Syria and Iraq
Experts from Syria are working together with German authorities to track down art stolen in Syria and Iraq. Much of it turns up on the internet. IS fighters are selling plundered art to fund their conquests.