Tunisia
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Interview with Benjamin Stora
The history of relations between Jews and Muslims
The French-language book "Histoires des relations entre juifs et musulmans, des origines à nos jours" (The history of relations between Jews and Muslims, from their origins to the present day) is encyclopaedic in both its scope and length. Some 120 top specialists worked under the direction of Abdelwahab Meddeb and Benjamin Stora to rebuild more than 13 centuries of coexistence between Jews and Muslims. Nathalie Galesne spoke to Benjamin Stora about the book
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Interview with the human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine
Tunisia's democratic awakening under threat
The well-known Tunisian human rights activist Sihem Bensedrine talks to Moncef Slimi about the arduous process of democratic transformation in the motherland of the Arab Spring
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The Arab world
Arabic: the last tie that binds
In terms of politics, economics, religion and culture, the paths of the Arab states diverge. The once proclaimed unity between them has been consigned to the history books. Only one thing still binds them together: the Arabic language. By Kersten Knipp
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Book review: "Contemporary Artists – Arab World"
Perceptions of reality
The book "Contemporary Artists – Arab World" shows how different Arab artists have reacted to the upheaval in their countries. By Kersten Knipp
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Victims of the Tunisian Revolution
The slow and painful search for the truth
Three years have passed since Tunisians took to the streets in protest against their ruler, Ben Ali. The country is now slowly moving towards democracy, but the victims of those early revolutionary days are still waiting for justice. Hopes that the truth will come to light and that relatives will discover who killed and injured their loved ones during the unrest are diminishing by the day. By Sarah Mersch
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Social media and the Arab Spring in Tunisia
Not as soft as jasmine
Social media did not topple Tunisia's dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, but they certainly played an important role. According to the Tunisian blogger Aya Chebbi, cyber activism is now an important tool for democratisation in this North African country
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The political consequences of the Arab Spring
Some revolts just take longer
Civil war in Syria, a military regime in Egypt ... at first glance, it seems as if the Arab Spring has gone off the rails. But the battle is not over yet: 2014 will be a decisive year for change in the Arab world. An essay by Karim El-Gawhary
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Tunisia's new constitution
The pain and joy of giving birth
It took the political parties in Tunisia two years to agree on the country's draft constitution, which was adopted on Sunday, 26 January. The resulting document, however, is as contradictory as Tunisian society itself. By Sarah Mersch
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Three years after the Arab uprisings
Tyranny has gone unpunished
The revolutions that swept across the Arab world in 2011 could have failed for any number of reasons. However, the fact that their consequences now threaten to drag entire nations into chaos and rehabilitate tyrannous rulers three years after they were unceremoniously ousted is almost worse than if there had been no uprisings in the first place. By Günther Orth
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Interview with Hélé Béji
"Ennahda has an unbelievable capacity to adjust"
Hélé Béji is an independent Tunisian writer and literary scholar. She is related to Habib Bourguiba, the founder of the Tunisian republic and its first president, and is part of a rather progressive intellectual scene. Béji has been watching the Islamists closely since they took power two years ago and is one of the few people who considers Ennahda capable of learning and becoming a major democratic people's party. Christina Omlin spoke to her about recent developments in Tunisia
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Tunisia three years after the Jasmine Revolution
Learning how to deal with freedom
Three years after the overthrow of President Ben Ali, Tunisians are still waiting for their new constitution. Quite a few empty promises have been made since 2011, but there has also been some progress. By Ute Schaeffer in Tunis
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Tunisia and the European Union
Last chance
The Arab Spring seems to be over, but democracy could yet prevail in Tunisia. The EU should promise privileged trade relations on the condition that the country does not return to authoritarian rule. By Markus Loewe