In a surprising U-turn, Washington has agreed to the expansion of several Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories. The EU, the UN and Russia now ought to take a stand. A commentary by Peter PhilippMore
Relief organizations in Sudan face not only a struggle with refugees and the threat of famine and disease in the war-torn, almost lawless region of Darfur but also against bureaucracy, instability and lack of cohesion. Deutsche Welle staff reportsMore
The first civilian ever was named on Tuesday head of Turkey's influential National Security Council. It is a further step by Turkey to curb the power the armed forces has over the government. Louisa Schaefer about the links between politics and the military.More
People who can neither count on an independent judiciary nor on a rule-bound administration are plagued by insecurity, harassment and dependence on personal good will. Arab countries under authoritarian control provide plenty of examples, as writes Martina Sabra.More
Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin is a lecturer in Jewish History at the Ben Gurion University, Israel. In this interview with Youssef Hijazi he talks about binationalism, the victims of Zionism as well as about alternatives for the "Zionist myth".More
Following a preliminary investigation, the European Union said Tuesday it had found no evidence that donations to the Palestinian Authority had been misused to fund terrorist activities.More
Murat Kurnaz, a Turkish national and the only prisoner from Germany at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, has been held there since early 2002. He now may have lost his right of residence in Germany. By Anja von CysewskiMore
Since the water supply system in Jakarta has been privatized and turned over to western companies, prices have risen considerably as have complaints about regular interruptions in supply and poor water quality, as Gerhard Klas reports.More
In spite of their universal aspiration, human rights are ignored in many countries. Development experts point out harsh economic and social consequences. Opinion is divided on how aggressively governments should be put under pressure in the fight for human rights. By Marie-Christine JohannesMore
Iran said this week it didn't feel bound by promises brokered by Germany, France and Britain to control its nuclear program. Fruitless talks in Paris, at the same time, have left Europe increasingly frustrated. A commentary by Peter PhilippMore
Turkey’s political class is wavering between modernity and archaism, thereby limiting real rapid development and favouring immobilisation. The promise of Europe could act as a wake-up call. François Skvor reports from Ankara.More
Even though the Janjaweed are considered to be the main perpetrators of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, Reinhard Baumgarten in his background report identifies further factors at the heart of the conflict.More
The UN Security Council on Friday gave Sudan 30 days to stop the genocide in Darfur without threatening the government with sanctions for non-compliance. The international community could have acted earlier. A commentary by Reinhold MeyerMore
Police raids on Islamic schools may shake up fundamentalist cells, but officials agree that the right teachers are the best way to root out radical Islamic leanings among Germany's Muslim youth. By Andreas TzortzisMore
Europe has a long history of co-operation with South Asia. But the time for dalliance has passed. Their relationship needs to move on. Constantino Hermanns Xavier reportsMore
Is Post-Zionism passé? So it seems, as since the beginning of the second Intifada, Israel's critical intellectuals are forced onto the defensive, a situation political right-wingers profit from. By Joseph CroitoruMore
Officials gathered in Bosnia on Friday to celebrate the reconstruction of the Mostar bridge almost 11 years after it was destroyed by war. The landmark now symbolizes reconciliation between Bosnian Muslims and Catholic Croats.More
Thirty years after Turkey invaded it, Cyprus remains a divided island. The Greek side is now part of the EU, but the northern Turkish half still suffers economic isolation despite UN and Brussels' efforts to reunite it. A background report by Rainer SollichMore
Estonia, Lithuania, Chile, Botswana, Mali. Those are the countries that made the greatest strides towards democracy and a market economy in the last five years, says a report unveiled by the Bertelsmann Foundation.More
Aref Hajjaj takes a look at the difficult German-Palestinian relations and argues that Germany should take on a more active role in the Middle East peace process.More
More than half a million refugees of Syrian origin currently live in Istanbul, carving out a niche for themselves in a new country under often difficult conditions. Initiatives such as "Small Projects Istanbul" help them in their search for housing, health care and school education. By Marian Brehmer
Jamal Khashoggi's last column: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
Karen Attiah, The Washington Postʹs Global Opinions editor: "I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi’s translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul… It perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for."More
Amnesty International demands Raqqa investigation following U.S.-led "war of annihilation"
The US-led Coalition’s ongoing failure to admit to, let alone adequately investigate, the shocking scale of civilian deaths and destruction it caused in Raqqa is a slap in the face for survivors trying to rebuild their lives and their city, says Amnesty International.More
U.S.-Saudi relations under scrutiny
Following the alarming disappearance of Saudi journalist and political dissident Jamal Khashoggi, John Oliver examines America's uncomfortably comfortable relationship with Saudi Arabia.More
Against Identity politics: 21st century tribalism and the crisis of democracy
Democratic societies are fracturing into segments based on ever-narrower identities, threatening the possibility of deliberation and collective action by society as a whole. To free the world from ongoing conflict, argues Francis Fukuyama, we need a more universal understanding of human dignityMore
Searching for the missing in Yemen
This Amnesty report details how scores of men have been subjected to enforced disappearance after being arbitrarily arrested and detained by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemeni forces operating outside the command of their own government. Many have been tortured, with some feared to have died in custody.More
Online magazine "Mada Masr"
The Egyptian online magazine "Mada Masr" regards itself as a progressive independent medium. It was founded following the Arabellion and publishes news, comment, features and photo essays in English and Arabic.More
How Europe is making its migration problem worse
Ever since the apex of the refugee crisis, European leaders have been working in concert to prevent a new upsurge in arrivals. Whether their strategy of helping would-be migrants before they ever set out for Europe is the answer remains to be seen.More
Al-Shabaka: Focussing on 25 years of Oslo
A quarter of a century since the signing of the Oslo Accords, an independent and sovereign Palestinian state has become little more than a myth as Israel continues to expand its settler colonial project and military occupation.More
For Palestinians, America was never an honest broker
The Trump administration’s policies don’t represent a radical shift. The White House has simply abandoned the facade of neutrality and rubber-stamped the Israeli government’s agenda, says Dalia HatuqaMore
openDemocracy: Free thinking for the world
openDemocracy is an independent global media platform covering world affairs, ideas and culture which seeks to challenge power and encourage democratic debate across the world.More
David A. Andelman: The U.S. needs a plan for Syria
The war in Syria seems to be entering its final days, with Assad’s forces closing in on one of the country’s last opposition-led provinces. Yet the USA, focused on trade wars across three continents and political wars at home, still doesn’t seem to have figured out what role it should be playing in the conflict or its aftermath.More
Satellite imagery and the Palestine-Israel exception
Whereas large parts of the Middle East and North Africa are covered by very high-resolution imagery, the Kyl-Bingaman amendment – bipartisan legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1997 – limits the quality of aerial photography of Palestine-Israel available to the public through platforms such as Google Earth and Bing Maps.More
Human Rights Watch report points the finger at Egypt
In a recent report, Human Rights Watch criticises the Egyptian authorities for having failed to investigate or prosecute a single member of the security forces five years after their systematic and widespread killing of largely peaceful protesters on Rabaa Square in Cairo.More
China's crackdown on Uighurs
Although China has detained hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and is cracking down on religious practice, Muslim leaders and communities around the world remain silent. Why?...More
The German Islam Scholar Lamya Kaddor
Why I as a Muslim Woman Don't Wear a Headscarf
Jordan and the influx of refugees
The true Samaritans
Muslims in Liberal Democracies
Why the West Fears Islam
The decline of Islamic scientific thought
Don't blame it on al-Ghazali
The Media and ''The Innocence of Muslims''
Against the Islamisation of Muslims
Junaid Jamshed
"I Was a Sinner for Years"