Syria
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France after the attacks
Of Islam, champagne and bombs
The situation in France continues to be tense following the latest attacks in Paris. But instead of solving the problems at home, the focus is solely on Syria. Details from Emran Feroz
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Airstrikes against IS
Solidarity yet no strategy
Western airstrikes will fail to have any significant impact on the terrorist militia as long as the Syrian rebels, prevented from focusing their efforts on the jihadists by the ongoing offensive staged by Assad′s regime, have to defend themselves simultaneously against IS and Assad. A commentary by Bente Scheller
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Interview with Arun Kundnani
Violence comes home
After the Paris attacks, what are the logical and tragic consequences of a war with no geographical limits? In this interview, Arun Kundnani unveils and critiques the ramifications of the ″war on terror″, from the conservative and liberal rhetoric of the intellectuals and commentators who have emerged, to the theories of ″radicalisation″ which have fuelled counter-terrorism programmes in the West
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The French crime writer Karim Miske in interview
″There are no simple solutions″
In the wake of the Paris attacks, the question is how such an outbreak of hate and violence could have happened in France. French crime novelist Karim Miske described life in the desolate banlieues of Paris in his novel ″Arab Jazz″. In interview with Claudia Mende he advises against simplistic answers and talks about the difficulties French society has in accepting its immigrants, who feel more French than Arab
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IS and the lessons learnt
Negotiating beyond time and space
The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is a recruitment tool for the IS and has to go. Nevertheless, a successor government needs to be able to keep order and cannot allow the jihadists to exploit a power vacuum, as it has in Libya. An essay by Richard N. Haass
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The emotional wounds of refugee children
Talking about the unspeakable
Refugee children experience awful situations while on the run. They do not talk about these traumatic experiences and are often left alone with their suffering. Now, in the city of Ulm, people are trying to help. A report by Sabrina Pabst
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Campaign: Raqqa is being slaughtered silently
"Raqqa is being slaughtered silently" is a campaign launched by a group of non-violent activists in Raqqa to expose the atrocities committed by the regime of Bashar Al-Assad and the terrorist extremist group Islamic State against the city's civilian population.
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The Paris attacks and Arab responsibility
Are we accomplices?
The massacres in Paris showed what a catastrophe the Al-Baghdadi "caliphate" represents and how it threatens to drag whole generations into a "clash of cultures". High time for Arabs and Muslims to seek out the roots of the fanaticism and delusion that have spread since 9/11, says the Lebanese journalist Zuheir Quseibati, bureau chief of "Al-Hayat" newspaper
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Islamism in the Paris aftermath
The "Allah Generation": figment of the collective imagination
Many people fear that young refugees from Iraq or Syria are being recruited by Salafists in Western Europe. But the facts show that these fears are unfounded. By Michael Kiefer
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Paris aftermath
Jihadists drive the wedge deeper
The latest attacks by IS are an attempt to exploit societal rifts at the heart of Europe. Without a concerted effort to address deep-seated and justified concerns relating to domestic social and economic policy, France′s retaliatory strikes are likely to achieve little. By James Dorsey
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Cameron's counter-extremism strategy
Cause for concern or necessary evil?
Counter-terrorism and security legislation already in place, the British government recently published details of its controversial counter-extremism strategy. Vague enough to allow a wide range of interpretations, it was met with alarm by a number of interest groups. With the Paris attacks fresh in everyone’s minds, however, Cameron’s drive against Islamist ideology could well find increasing support among public and politicians alike. By Susannah Tarbush
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IS terror in Europe
Crossing a psychological line
Following the devastating attacks on Paris, French terrorism experts believe that the jihadists′ awareness must have undergone a radical change to enable them to operate in Paris just as they do in Syria or Iraq. Has "Islamic State" altered its strategy? Analysis by Birgit Kaspar