Essays
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Womenʹs rights in Sudan
Motivated by hope
Political Islam posed an unprecedented challenge to womenʹs emancipation in Sudan. Despite worsening circumstances, numerous womenʹs rights organisations, associations and centres continued to lead courageous campaigns all over the country to address the many pressing issues women were and are still facing. By Wini Omer
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When blackmail becomes policy
For ʹPalestinian peace processʹ read ʹIran war processʹ
The success of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process model is there for all to borrow and copy. Create a regional ʹprocessʹ sponsored or led by the U.S. and attach to it ʹpeaceʹ, ʹwarʹ, or any other temptingly big carrot, then woo and blackmail the desperate parties you are targeting by turns. Essay by Khaled Hroub
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Germanyʹs Islam debate
The need to meet Islam critics head on
At a recent Berlin event, researchers talked about how to achieve a more nuanced discussion on Islam and Muslims. Were academics more proactive about presenting their empirical findings in the public arena, Rene Wildangel argues, they could play a major role in countering populist disinformation
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The integration litmus test
Success for some means failure for others
The presentation in the media of the outstanding success stories of refugees in certain professions or in their studies misses the mark, in the opinion of Syrian author Housamedden Darwish. He believes that life after flight and integration into a new society should not be represented as some kind of test
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Authoritarian rule in the Arab world
Nurturing the Arabellion phoenix
The restoration of authoritarianism after the turmoil of 2010/11 lured some analysts into drawing the over-hasty conclusion that the Arab Spring had been doomed to failure from the start, because the citizens of these countries lacked political maturity and a real desire for change. A miscalculation, argues Emad Alali in his essay
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The Republic of Iran turns forty
A theocracy at the crossroads
In its 40th year, the Islamic Republic of Iran is in a state of disintegration, says one of the country's strategists. The theocracy has arrived at a crossroads and the world cannot be indifferent to its future direction. Essay by Ali Sadrzadeh
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Media and politics in the Arab world
The despotsʹ henchmen
The murder of well-known Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi highlights the difficulties facing media in post-revolutionary Arab states. The freedoms temporarily gained after 2011 have long since fallen victim to the authoritarian restoration. By Loay Mudhoon
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Domestic power struggle in Tunisia
A faltering democracy
The most promising democratic experiment in the Arab world can still avert political disaster, but Tunisia urgently needs outside help in view of the ongoing trench warfare within the government, writes Youssef Cherif in his essay
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The Kurdish YPG and the future of northeastern Syria
Assad smiles from the sidelines
In northeastern Syria, the U.S. and Turkey are wrangling over how to deal with the Kurdish militias. The regime could score points from this – and gain control with Russian support. An analysis by Kristin Helberg
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Trump’s Syria withdrawal
A chance for peace?
Trump's withdrawal from Syria could indeed be a dangerous prelude to an expanded regional war. Yet with imagination and diplomacy the withdrawal could also be an important step on the difficult road to peace in the region, argues Jeffrey D. Sachs