Arabellion

Topic: Arabellion

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi (photo: Reuters)

Essebsi breaks with Ennahda

Farewell to Tunisia's "national consensus"

The decision by Caid Essebsi to end five years of consensus politics is likely to heighten sociopolitical tensions in the North African state and deepen a burgeoning economic crisis. Tunisian journalist Ismail Dbara analyses the reasons for the break-up and the consequences for democratisation within the countryMore

Tunisia and the EU: Bolster the young democracy!Interview with Hele Beji: "Ennahda has an unbelievable capacity to adjust"Interview with Moncef Marzouki: ''We don't have a magic wand''

Rival militias fighting in Tripoli, Libya (photo: Getty Images/AFP/M. Turkia)

Internecine struggles

Libyaʹs free for all

Libya is today the scene of political chaos that is difficult to fathom from the outside. Two governments, one in the west and one in the east, are fighting for supremacy. And even within the power blocs there are military conflicts between the different militias. By Karim El-GawharyMore

Khalifa Haftar's role in the Libyan civil war: The fight against political Islam Tyranny in the Islamic world: Keeping the tribe alive Resolving the crisis in Libya: Another fine mess

The spark that caused the Arabellion: Tunisian young people protest for more social equality and the end of the Ben-Ali dictatorship in Tunis in January 2011, following the suicide of Tunisian greengrocer Mohamed Bouazizi (photo: picture-alliance/abaca)

What triggered the Middle Eastern revolts in 2011?

The economics of Arabellion

Syrian historian Nasser Rabbat argues that the Arab Spring resulted mainly from social imbalance and the misery of large sections of the population within the Arab world. Moreover, as long as economic inequality persists, these states will continue to be plagued by instabilityMore

Lessons from the unrest in Tunisia: Free in name only Tyranny in the Islamic world: Keeping the tribe alive Qantara dossier: Arab Spring

Attack of the World Trade Center, 11 September 2001 (photo: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C. Soi Cheung)

The legacy of 9/11

Why the world needs to re-think its war on terror

Seventeen years have passed since 9/11, which marked a turning point in relations between the West and the Islamic world. Jordanian Islamism expert, Hassan Abu Haniyya, offers Ouifaq Benkiran the following observations about the most important repercussions of the war on terrorMore

The Iraq War fifteen years on: "America destroyed my country"Europe's treatment of IS returnees: Eroding the constitutional state Political prospects after the Arab Spring: At a crossroads Interview with Hassan Abu Haniyya: The Muslim Brothers' rigid structures

Syrians use dirt to put out a fire at the scene of a reported air strike in the district of Jisr al-Shughur, in Idlib Province, on 4 September 2018 (photo: Getty Images/AFP/O. H. Kadour)

The Idlib offensive

Nourishing Syria's terrorist tree

Tahrir al-Sham will not be subdued by the destruction of Idlib over the heads of its inhabitants, or by the sacrifice of millions of civilians. As Russia and Assad tighten the noose, we need to realise that the war on terror cannot be won by outdoing terrorists in the slaughter of civilians, argues Burhan Ghalioun, former SNC chairmanMore

Syria and the Ba'ath regime: Assad and the post-eternity era Interview with Burhan Ghalioun: ''The Syrian people want unity, freedom and a civilian state''The Syrian conflict: Mendacious diplomacy

Sufis in Cairo (photo: Abdel Rahman Mohamed)

Sufism in Egypt

Sufis, sheikhs and charlatans

Sufism has a tradition going back centuries in Egypt. Now the government is coming out in support of the mystics in a bid to undermine Islamism. Some fear that the essence of the movement will be lost in the process – but there are other more unexpected by-products of the Sufi trend. Christian Meier reports from Cairo.More

Combatting violent extremism: Could Sufi Islam be the cure-all?Sufism: Lifting the lid Qantara dossier: Mysticism | Sufism

Mizyed's son looks at the scars of torture on his back in their shelter in a Lebanese refugee camp, Bekaa Valley (photo: DW/A. Vohra)

Torture under the Assad regime

Syrian detainee No. 72

The Syrian government has acknowledged that hundreds of detainees were killed in state custody. Anchal Vohra met one of the prisoners who, along with many others, was tortured in Bashar Assad's jails. This is his storyMore

Syrian conflict: Damage limitation? Assad's death notices for the missing Political prisoners in Syria: Around-the-clock torture Syria and the Ba'ath regime: Assad and the post-eternity era

Prominent writer Alaa Al Aswany walks with anti-Morsi protesters as they chant anti-government slogans in Tahrir Square in Cairo on 27 November 2012 (photo: Reuters)

Alaa Al Aswanyʹs novel "The Republic As If"

Elias Khoury salutes Al Aswanyʹs courage

Lebanese novelist and critic Elias Khoury pays tribute to Alaa Al Aswanyʹs new novel as the only comprehensive literary chronicle of the January 2011 Egyptian revolution, charting the tragic fate of those who were killed, imprisoned and tortured against a background of the diabolical alliance between the Egyptian army and the Muslim BrotherhoodMore

Novelist and critic Elias Khoury: The nightmare of reality After the coup in Egypt: A dark chapter in Egyptian liberalism Interview with the Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany: ″I write to defend democracy″

Gates of Adra Prison in Damascus (photo: imago stock&people)

Syrian conflict

Damage limitation? Assad's death notices for the missing

Families of Syrian detainees are just now finding out that their loved ones died in custody years ago. Recent moves by Bashar Assad's government to update civil registries is little more than a cynical attempt to cover up its own atrocities. By Lewis Sanders IV and Emad HassanMore

Interview with the journalist and author Garance le Caisne: Caesar and the butcher of Damascus Political prisoners in Syria: Around-the-clock torture Syria: human rights violations and torture: The toll of the missing

Cover of the German translation of the novel "Beer in the Snooker Club" by Waguih Ghali (source: C.H. Beck)

Book review: Waguih Ghali's "Beer in the Snooker Club"

The cruel disillusionment of an entire generation

The novel "Beer in the Snooker Club" by the Egyptian author Waguih Ghali was first published in London in the mid-1960s. It was rediscovered during the Arab Spring. A German translation has recently been published. Sonja Zekri read the bookMore

Alaa Al Aswany′s novel ″The Automobile Club of Egypt″: Microcosm of tyranny Remembering Naguib Mahfouz: "A wave of light on an infinite ocean of darkness"Interview with the Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany: "I write to defend democracy"Egyptian historian Khaled Fahmy on the Six-Day War: The Arabs' Groundhog Day

Egypt's shopkeepers bear the brunt of the economic crisis (photo: picture-alliance/dpa)

Egypt's economic disarray

Whether to topple President Sisi...

Five years after protests and a coup brought then-President Mohammed Morsi to his knees, Egypt is experiencing its sharpest rise in living costs. Is the country on the brink once again? Farid Farid reports from CairoMore

Egypt's rising debts: "A sign of crisis"Egypt's economic and fiscal crisis: Rescuing the sinking ship The Egyptian economy: Going, going, gone

Assadʹs troops in Daraa province (photo: Getty Images/AFP)

The demise of Daraa, former rebel stronghold

At the mercy of Assadʹs troops

While Berlin was contemplating secure borders, the Syrian regime embarked on its next campaign to exacerbate the suffering of refugees. To Syriaʹs President Bashar al-Assad, they are nothing more than a weapon. By Bente SchellerMore

Tens of thousands return home after south Syria ceasefire deal Carving up Syria: Reserved for Assad loyalists Ending the civil war: For a different Syria

Protesters take part in a march on 27 June 2018 denouncing heavy sentences against Hirak activists in Rabat, Morocco. Banner in Arabic reads "Moroccan Justice. Life sentence for the (northern region of) of Rif. A noose for the country" (photo: picture alliance/AP/M. Elshamy)

Moroccoʹs sentencing of Nasser Zefzafi

When civil liberties contract

The sentencing of a prominent opposition activist to jail long-term has shaken critics of Moroccoʹs government. Activists and analysts alike warn of ill omens for the countryʹs political trajectory. By Tom StevensonMore

Moroccoʹs treatment of Hirak El-Shaabi: Fair trial? Fat chance Morocco and the return of autocracy: Playing with fire Morocco's blighted Rif region: So little to do – so much time

Shared strategic interests: Sunni Sultan of Oman Qabus ibn Said meets with Shia Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran, August 2013 (photo: mehr)

Geopolitical alliances in the Middle East

Religionʹs waning role

Todayʹs turmoil in the Middle East is rooted largely in historical legacies and poor leadership, but the influence of religion hasnʹt helped. So it is good news that, from Saudi Arabia to Israel to Iraq, religion is increasingly being superseded by strategic and security interests in shaping regional affairs. By Shlomo Ben-AmiMore

The aftermath of the Arab Spring: The changing map of Middle East power Geopolitics in the Middle East: End the Arab-Iranian tug-of-war Saudi Arabia and the West: Europe's window of opportunity Iraqʹs political future: Entering a new era

Unity in Diversity demonstration in Jakarta on 19 November 2016 (photo: Reuters)

Islam and democracy

What the Arab world can learn from Indonesia

Since 1945, Indonesia has pursued its own state ideology of Pancasila, characterised by religious tolerance and social justice. Following the failure of the Arabellion, it could serve as a role model for democratic re-birth in many Arab states, writes Abhishek MohantyMore

Indonesia as a model of Muslim democracy: Developments, problems and opportunities Liberal Islamic networks in Indonesia: A counter-movement to political Islam Interview with Aditiana Dewi Erdani: Equality as an educational mission

Molly Crabapple and Marwan Hisham (photo: Molly Crabapple and Marwan Hisham)

Book review: Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabappleʹs "Brothers of the Gun"

Immortal art and immortal words

Tracing his own coming-of-age and the fateful changes that take place in Raqqa between 2011 and 2016, Syrian journalist Marwan Hisham’s memoir – deftly complimented by Molly Crabappleʹs moody illustrations – explores timeless issues: growing up, teenage rebellion and the inevitable moral quandaries. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore

An interview with Syrian author Samar Yazbek: ″The Crossing: My journey to the shattered heart of Syria″Syrian author Hamid Sulaiman: ″The hospital is the true hero″Fighting Islamic State with satire and black humour: Terribly funny

Topic: Arabellion

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