Syria
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The West's strategy in the Middle East
Hollow alliance
The islands of stability in the Arab-Islamic world are shrinking. In the face of war and chaos, the West continues to cling to its new-old allies: the "moderate Sunni regimes". The aim of this alliance, which purportedly shares goals and ideals, is that "good Islam" will conquer "bad Islam" with Western support. By Stefan Buchen
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Peace initiatives for Syria
Negotiate locally, implement internationally
A comprehensive solution to the Syria conflict is still a distant prospect. And "freezing" the fighting will not succeed without UN monitoring. If the suffering of the people is to be alleviated and a foundation of trust laid for negotiations, local initiatives must be implemented with international support, says Kristin Helberg
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Historical roots of the current Middle East crisis
The end of an artificial construct
After the First World War, many people hoped for a lasting order that would bring peace. The mandate system, which was supervised by the international community, was supposed to bring a new form of "benevolent" imperialism to the Middle East. However, the region is still dominated by the problems that were created at that time – more so today than ever before. By Jakob Krais
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Strategies against Islamic State
The case against an alliance with Assad
While it is certainly laudable when political leaders base foreign policy choices on ethical considerations, writes Syria expert Heiko Wimmen, the question remains whether such principled positions will hold up if the current approach of limited airstrikes fails to yield results
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Syrian refugees in Lebanon
"We will perish here!"
Fearing a terrorist attack, the Lebanese army has hermetically sealed off the town of Arsal. More than 100,000 Syrian refugees have been trapped there for months. They fear for their own security and the impact of winter. Juliane Metzker reports from Arsal
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The Middle East in 2014
New regional power games
The rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has dramatically altered the regional order. While Iran and Turkey are becoming key political players in the crisis-torn area, the West continues to lose influence. An analysis by Karim El-Gawhary
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The Syrian art project "Cutting Away the Void"
Documenting the tragedy of the Syrian revolt
The Syrian–British artist couple Nora and Fritz Best spent two weeks with Syrian refugees in Amman, creating a series of empathetic portraits of the refugees and recording their experiences. The resulting portraits and statements provide a touching but disturbing insight into the harrowing story of present-day Syria
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Interview with the Syrian blogger Aboud Saeed
"When the regime lost its control, I lost my fear"
Aboud Saeed started his Facebook blog on the war in Syria with the words "I am the smartest guy on Facebook". Today he has the highest number of possible friends and thousands of followers. His status updates have been published and translated into several languages. Ceyda Nurtsch spoke to the Syrian blogger
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Civil war in Syria
Everyday life in a country destroyed
"Please help yourself!" A man provides food for the needy, a tradesman sells perfume, a group of students organise a cycling race: between death, ruins and thoughts of escape, there are strong signs of a will to live in Syria. By Rasha Muhre
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Six lessons learned from Tunisia's recent elections
"Religion is God's, but democracy belongs to everyone!"
The most recent elections in Tunisia have made it clear that, in spite of numerous setbacks over the last three years, the Arab Spring continues to bear fruit. According to Egyptian journalist and professor Khalil al-Anani, the Tunisian experiment once again proves that Tunisia is a long way ahead of the other Arab countries undergoing transformation
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The kidnapping of the "Douma 4"
The Salafist and the human rights activist
A year ago, four Syrian human rights activists were taken from a suburb of Damascus. Among them was the well-known lawyer Razan Zaitouneh. The kidnapping illustrates the fatal turn the Syrian revolution has taken, partly due to the West's inaction, writes Kristin Helberg
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Global strategies for combating Islamic State
The intellectual battle against IS
The global financial crisis taught the world how profoundly interdependent our economies have become. In today's crisis of extremism, we must recognise that we are just as interdependent for our security, as is clear in the current struggle to defeat IS (also known as ISIS), writes Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum