Yemen
All countries-
Yemen: freedom of expression
The intervention of a Nobel Laureate
Now and then an Arab author will write a novel that doesn′t meet with the approval of one or two influential people. When that happens, the state reveals its true face – the ugly side to which the general public and the international community don′t usually have access, hidden as it is beneath inches of makeup and artifice. By Wajdi al-Ahdal
-
Five years of Arab Spring
The butterfly effect
It was the flap of a butterfly wing that was to trigger a storm in Europe. Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation in 2010 sent a clear signal: things were about to change. Despite many setbacks, the impact of this message is still being felt. By Karim El-Gawhary
-
Save the Children and the Refugee Council
-
Interview with the Yemeni author Ali al-Muqri
″Sex is the origin of all life″
The novels of Yemeni author Ali al-Muqri are well-known to Arab readers and a few have already been translated into other languages. Al-Muqri often deals with subjects like sex, war and religion. His novel ″Hurma″ (French: ″Femme interdite″) won him the French prize for Arabic literature. Interview by Amida Sholan
-
Post-Arabellion reform deadlock
The logic of power
The Arab world is locked into a huge cycle of violence. At the same time, reformers are isolated - both within the regimes and outside them. Those who advocate violence, on the other hand, sense momentum and are growing in number. And they are convinced that the future will be a violent one. An essay by the Kuwaiti political scientist Shafeeq Ghabra
-
Juergen Habermas awarded Kluge Prize for Philosophy
″Asylum is a human right″
What holds society together and what's our role in it? Philosophers Juergen Habermas and Charles Taylor have recently been honoured in the US for their work on these issues. By Klaus Kraemer and Stefan Reccius
-
Political rule before and after the ″Arabellion″
Internal colonialism and counter-revolution
When an elite ruling class controls state institutions and resources and uses them for its own benefit, this can be called ″internal colonialism″. Such systems exist in their worst form in the Arab world. The Syrian author Louay Safi believes, however, that all signs indicate that the Arab peoples will rid themselves of this colonialism and that the repressive military regimes will be smothered by their own crimes and corruption
-
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
-
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
-
Media portrayals and geopolitics in the Near and Middle East
Who shapes our image of the world?
In this commentary, Charlotte Wiedemann considers how press freedom and the media are tethered to Western geopolitics
-
After the nuclear agreement with Iran
Where to from here?
The nuclear deal with Iran is being celebrated both in the Middle East and in the West. It has, however, many critics too. Whether the hotly anticipated agreement will have a positive or a negative effect on the region, depends on political dynamics within Iran, says Volker Perthes, who outlines two possible scenarios
-
Interview with director Gini Reticker
"These women do not need to be saved, they need to be heard"
A new project highlighting women in the MENA region and their struggle during and after the Arab Spring goes against the usual Western image of the docile, oppressed Arab woman. Instead, "The Trials of Spring" shows women in the region as they are: strong, active, committed participants and well-informed activists. The project features six short films about Arab women. Joseph Mayton spoke to Academy Award-nominated producer Gini Reticker about the project