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Osama Alomar
″The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories″: A touch of Aesop
A literary immigrant in strange clothes, Osama Alomar′s ″The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories″ perches brightly and uneasily at the edge of the English-language landscape. It′s the second collection by the U.S.-based Syrian writer to make its way from Arabic into English. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the book
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Non-fiction: Omid Nouripour's "What to Do about Jihadists?"
Every day counts
What attracts young people to IS? What can politicians do beyond calling for ever "tougher measures"? In "What to Do about Jihadists? A Policy Approach to the War on Terror", Omid Nouripour delivers an in-depth analysis of the current terrorist threat – and various potential solutions. Claudia Kramatschek read the book
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Ending the civil war
For a different Syria
Assad is still in power. But he has nevertheless lost it – to Iran, Russia, Syrian militia leaders and war profiteers. What Germany should now do for the Syrians. By Kristin Helberg
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Annulling the Iran deal
When amateurs rule
Abandoning the nuclear deal with Iran will leave the U.S. completely isolated, undermine global security and strain relations with its allies, which are already under mounting stress thanks to Trump′s unseemly and erratic behaviour. Commentary by Alon Ben-Meir
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Iran and the USA
Trump's UN debut: The axis of evil is back
The USA no longer accepts the nuclear agreement with Iran in its current form and instead wants to renegotiate elements of the international treaty. President Hassan Rouhani now has to manoeuvre between Trump and the radicals at home – hoping all the while that Europe will act as mediator. A commentary by Ali Sadrzadeh
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The Silk Road Ensemble
"The Music of Strangers": A quest for perfect harmony
The Silk Road Ensemble has been a leading force on the cross-cultural world music scene for almost twenty years. A new documentary – ″The Music of Strangers″ – tells the story of the project. By Marian Brehmer
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Islam in Europe
An appeal to Muslims: Call out the terrorists!
Muslims in the West need to shoulder some of the burden when it comes to combatting extremism, otherwise they themselves may well fall under the wheels of the proverbial bus. Commentary by Mousa Barhouma
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Palestinian territories
From self-determination to dictatorship: With a rod of iron
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority has long ceased to pursue the national aspirations of its population and established a security apparatus designed to secure the status quo. Meanwhile in Gaza, the de facto Hamas regime is planning to hand over control to its military wing. Commentary by Abdalhadi Alijla
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Soft power and football
Qatar vs. UAE: The not-so-beautiful game
In the race to buy influence, garner soft power and win over hearts and minds, those involved in the three-month old Gulf crisis are hell-bent on raising the stakes. Commentary by James M. Dorsey
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Electioneering in Germany
AfD seeks to reboot migrant fears: "Germany First!"
The Alternative for Germany wants to scrap the right to asylum and make development aid conditional upon stopping emigration. The party says its suggestions are "humane," but in practice they would be anything but that. By Jefferson Chase
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Middle East
Ending Iraq′s humanitarian crisis: Trust the people
Provided its leaders correctly reassess the changing regional and domestic dynamics and agree to allow all Iraqis, regardless of their sect and cultural orientation, to choose their own political and civil structure, the country can still overcome the horrors of the past 14 years. Essay by Alon Ben-Meir
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Europe and the USA
When anti-Semitism and Islamophobia join hands: The racist vortex
The campaign against George Soros is fuelling a dangerous symbiosis between anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, argues political scientist Farid Hafez