Syria
All countries-
"Not our fight"
Why the Middle East doesn't fully support Ukraine
Middle Eastern countries are still on the fence when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Their citizens point to the West's double standards surrounding conflict and refugees. Should Europe be worried, asks Cathrin Schaer?
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Saints of Islam
Capturing the light of sages
For over fifty years, British photographer Peter Sanders travelled across the Middle East and further afield, seeking out the saints of Islam. His work uncovers a little-known world. By Marian Brehmer
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Europe, Ukraine and refugees
Compassion, a sliding scale?
Ideally, those Europeans currently welcoming Ukrainian refugees would show the same sympathy to Syrians, Afghans and others fleeing war beyond the continent. But, argues Ian Buruma, human compassion is a rare enough commodity that we should be grateful whenever it appears
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Open-source on Russia's crimes
Lessons learnt in Syria help Ukraine
Researchers have spent years collecting evidence of Russian war crimes in Syria, using everything from social media to satellite images. Open-source research has evolved. Cathrin Schaer asks whether it could help bring justice to Ukraine faster
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Syria's Ramadan drummers defiant as tradition wanes
El Musaharati is the name given to the person who walks and beats a drum in residential areas during Ramadan to wake people up to eat their pre-fast suhur before morning prayers. Yet, today, this ancient practice is in decline.
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Middle East
A new Arab Spring, thanks to the Ukraine war?
The price of bread is rising rapidly in the Middle East, thanks to concerns about wheat supply from Ukraine and Russia. In the past, such increases have led to violent protests and political upheaval. By Cathrin Schaer
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Russia in Syria
Strikes on Idlib water supply and farms war crimes?
Rights groups have said the suspected Russian bombing of pumping stations and chicken farms in Idlib, one of Syria's last rebel-held areas, is meant to push out displaced locals. It may have been a war crime. Cathrin Schaer reports
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War in Ukraine
A food crisis in the MENA region?
With Vladimir Putin’s forces gaining ground in Ukraine, a further increase in the price of bread could severely destabilise MENA countries. Rising costs would inevitably challenge states such as Turkey, which imports essential cereal supplies from Russia and Ukraine. The same applies to most economies in the Arab world, such as Egypt – the world’s largest wheat importer – Algeria, and Tunisia
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Russia's interventions in Ukraine and Syria
What drives Putin is evident from Syria
Anyone wishing to know how far Putin will go in Ukraine should look to Syria. There, the Kremlin has been successfully asserting its own interests for years – with military ruthlessness, diplomatic pressure, brazen propaganda and tactical agility. Commentary by Kristin Helberg
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Syrians and the Ukraine war
"We share a similar suffering"
Syrian opposition activists say they know what it's like to go up against the Russian military. Some experts think things may have turned out differently in Ukraine if the West had stood up to the Kremlin over Syria. By Diana Hodali
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Ukraine conflict
Why Israel is mediating between Russia and Ukraine
With his surprise visit to Moscow on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is assuming the unlikely role of mediator between Russia and Ukraine. Yet as one commentator put it, he is taking a huge risk, not only for himself as a politician, but for the state of Israel and its standing in the world
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Russia's invasion of Ukraine
What impact on the Arab world?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has strengthened the position of a number of Arab countries; after all, the West is likely to need urgent access to their oil and gas. Nevertheless, the rentier states remain uneasy at the prospect. By Christoph Ehrhardt