Qantara.de - Dialog mit der islamischen Welt

Deadly and disruptive as it already is, and terribly as it could yet worsen and spread, the 2020 coronavirus outbreak could also have political effects that last long after the contagion is contained. Crisis Group identifies seven points of particular concern.More

The Iraqi parliament approved its new government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, now prime minister. The move ends six months of political vacuum, but many challenges lie ahead, including the country's struggling economy and the re-emergence of the Islamic State group. More

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

Turkey has declared its border with the EU open – even as the EU says that’s not the case. Tens of thousands of people have attempted to cross in recent days. Greece's government has announced it will process no new asylum applications for one month. Yet the deadly violence in Syria shows no signs of abating.More

Trump’s so called “deal of the century” is an assault on the Palestinian narrative, even before it is an assault on their rights.More

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has died at the age of 91. Mubarak was Egypt’s longest-serving president, ruling from 1981 until 2011 when he was ousted following a mass uprising against his rule.More

Ever since the United States invaded the country in 2001, the Afghan army has been mired in a decades-long war against the Taliban. Corruption is rife. FRANCE 24 Observers team shines a light on poor organisation and the difficulties that Afghan troops face, from insufficient food and pay to a lack of suitable clothing.More

Iraqi novelist and poet Sinan Antoon comments on the ongoing protests in his home country and why he feels optimistic.More

Leaked documents detail for the first time China's systematic brainwashing of hundreds of thousands of Muslims in a network of high-security prison camps. The Chinese government has consistently claimed the camps in the far western Xinjiang region offer voluntary education and training. But official documents, seen by BBC Panorama, show how inmates are locked up, indoctrinated and punished.More

A look at the street art from Sudanese youth during the uprising against former president Omar Hassan Al Bashir.More

“I’m going out to claim my rights” – on 1 October, the Iraqi people mobilised en masse demonstrating against corruption, unemployment, political quotas, and the interference of neighbouring states, particularly Iran, in Iraq’s government and policies. Nearly six weeks later, the protests continue.More

It is over a year since President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and tensions between the U.S. and Iran are steadily increasing. This 2009 documentary presents a different take on the story of Iranian nuclear energy.More

Moustache masks of the British conspirator Guy Fawkes are worn by demonstrators all over the world. Now, inspired by the new feature film, the comic book villain Joker is to be found among protesters in Lebanon and elsewhere. Psychogram of a green-haired anti-hero with a clown face. By Johannes Schmitt-TeggeMore

Since 2014, when President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi took power, Egyptian courts have sentenced some 3,000 people to death according to the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, an independent organisation that documents human rights violations in the Middle East and North Africa. Innocence or guilt no longer appears to play a role.More

The Syrian government is co-opting humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance, Human Rights Watch said on Friday, urging donors and investors to ensure that funding is going to the right place.More

BBC Radio 4's "File on Four" reveals how surveillance software designed to track drug-dealers and terrorists is being used by Gulf states to spy on journalists, human rights activists and lawyers carrying out legitimate activities.More

A recently published Human Rights Watch report based on two years of investigation documents crimes including mass arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, extrajudicial killings and possibly unlawful air and ground attacks against civilians in the North Sinai.More

The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) and the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) have released the first comprehensive report on torture in Jammu and Kashmir. Using 432 case studies, the report charts trends, patterns and impacts of torture since 1947. Since the Indian armed forces enjoy legal impunity, not a single prosecution has ever taken placeMore

While the details of Donald Trumpʹs "deal of the century" to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remain a well-kept secret, the U.S. administration’s record to date suggests the initiative will prioritise Israeli interests over Palestinian rights, ignore fundamental principles of international law and steer well away from the idea of two sovereign states.More

In backing a warlord, Paris may be dealing itself a losing hand. "Macron was misadvised into thinking that Libya could be a quick win for his charisma," says Tarek Megerisi, researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations.More

Owing to General Khalifa Haftar's attack on Tripoli, the national conference on Libya planned by the UN has been cancelled. In view of recent developments, we recommend reading Wolfram Lacher's commentary published by SWP.More

The Islamic Republic’s corruption is draining the country of its most precious resource: water.More

In its latest report, Human Rights Watch reveals that Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government authorities have charged hundreds of children with terrorism for alleged Islamic State affiliation. The prosecutions are often based on dubious accusations and forced confessions obtained through torture.More

Wolfram Lacher argues that the UN’s ongoing attempts at brokering a political solution in Libya are being undermined by the recent advances made by Khalifa Haftar’s “Libyan Arab Armed Forces” in the south of the country.More