Syria
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Popular unrest in the Middle East
Who says popular demand for change is off the agenda?
Recent protests in Beirut against government corruption and incompetence highlight a growing revival of non-violent dissent across the Middle East and North Africa. As well as an end to corruption, protesters in Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon have been taking to the streets demanding improvement in basic public services such as waste management, accountability and transparency. By James M. Dorsey
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Impact of border controls in the EU
The European downward spiral
It is arguably already too late for European governments to understand that with the introduction of border controls, they cannot change the reality of flight and the search for asylum. But these measures are creating political divisions across the continent that will be difficult to heal. A commentary by Stefan Buchen
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One Syrian refugee’s story
″I could no longer live in Syria″
Syrian refugee Alaa Houd left his job and family and hired people smugglers to make his way to the wealthy countries of Western Europe. Hiring people smugglers was his only way of leaving war-torn Syria. Diana Hodali spoke to Syrian Alaa Houd and recounts his story for him
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Refugee crisis in Europe
The price of European indifference
In dealing with the refugee crisis – harassed by its xenophobes and consumed by self-doubt – Europe has turned its back on its values. Or has it lost sight of them altogether? A critical discussion by the French philosopher Bernhard-Henri Levy
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Syrian refugees in Turkey on the Syrian conflict
Keeping the revolution alive
The focus of the violent Syrian conflict has shifted from atrocities committed by the Assad regime to IS. But activists who joined peaceful protests four years ago say their commitment to the revolution hasn't dimmed. By Ruby Russell and Louise Osborne
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The National Museum in Beirut
Fighting to save the region's cultural heritage
As world heritage sites in Iraq and Syria continue to be bombed, blown up and bulldozed, the question as to what can be done to save their historical treasures has taken on a new urgency. The National Museum in Beirut is playing its part in trying to save the region's cultural heritage. By Juliane Metzker in Beirut
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Civil war in Syria
First Assad, then "Islamic State"
If the self-styled "Islamic State" is to be successfully combatted, the Syrian conflict has to be resolved. And for this, one thing is necessary above all: an alternative to the Assad regime. This alternative can only be created in safe zones, writes Kristin Helberg
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Interview with journalist Chris Woods on drone warfare
"It's not risk-free war, it's displaced war"
For more than a decade now, the US has been using drones in warfare. During this time, thousands of people, especially civilians, have been killed by the unmanned machines. In this interview, Chris Woods, one of the leading investigative journalists on drone warfare, explains to Emran Feroz why use of drones is on the rise and what the consequences are
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Interview with a survivor of the Suruc attack
"All we want is freedom"
The faces of the 31 members of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) killed in the attack on 20 July still gaze down from banners strung around the courtyard of the Amara Culture Centre where the bomb was detonated. Inside, surrounded by broken windows, sits Adnan, a 25-year-old Kurd, who describes the IS terrorism that drove him out of Kobani, only to catch up with him across the border in Suruc. Fabian Kohler spoke to him about the attack
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Druze in the Golan Heights
Squeezed between occupation and civil war
The Golan Heights were unilaterally annexed by Israel in 1981. At the time, many Syrian residents fled. Most of those who remained belong to the Druze community. In this article, Ylenia Gostoli takes a closer look at the situation for the Druze in the Golan Heights and shines a light on their relationship with both Syria and their co-religionists in Israel
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Interview with former Tadmur inmate Bara Sarraj
Surviving hell
The city of Palmyra has been under the control of the self-styled "Islamic State" since mid-May. But for many Syrians, the city was a gateway to hell long before the arrival of the jihadists: Palmyra was home to the infamous Tadmur prison, where the Ba'ath regime tortured tens of thousands of people. When IS seized the city, one of the first things it did was to blow up the hated jail. Bara Sarraj, who now lives in Chicago, was one of its inmates. He told Fabian Kohler about his years in prison
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Book review: "The Islam Quintet" by Tariq Ali
A wonderful reminder of Islam's contribution to world culture
Nearly 20 years in the writing, Tariq Ali's "The Islam Quintet" has just been reissued, redesigned and made available as a complete set by Verso Books. Written in response to a comment heard by the author during the first Gulf War suggesting Muslim's have no culture, the five books dip in and out of history disproving this proposition. Not only does the quintet successfully display the depth and variety of Islamic culture, it provides readers with a perspective on world events we rarely experience. By Richard Marcus