Arab Spring
All topics-
A Backlash of Patriarchy in Egypt
Hope for a Proper Revolution
The targeting of women in the Egyptian revolution – to make them know "their place" – was among the first shots fired by the counter-revolution. Yet they fight on. A viewpoint by Margot Badran
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Yemen and the Arab Spring
Revolution on Hold
While political turbulence continues unabated in Tunisia and Egypt – the two countries where the Arab Spring started – and a bloody civil war still rages unchecked in Syria, the transition in Yemen seems to have ground to a complete halt. By Nader Alsarras
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Muslim Brothers as Victims
''25 TV Stations Are Working against Us''
Unfair media coverage, hostile opposition, and violent demonstrators: Many Muslim Brothers see themselves as being wrongly attacked. A visit to a party office of the Islamists in Cairo. By Markus Symank
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Islamism and Secularism after the Arab Spring
Muslim's Multiple Modernities
For Muslim societies, the way to democracy will inevitably involve religious politics, says Nader Hashemi in his essay. And for historical reasons, he argues, Muslim societies will develop different concepts of democracy than the ones common in the West
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European Policy on Syria
The Time for Caution is Past
In view of the suffering and the destruction in Syria and the reticence of the US, the Europeans must assume more responsibility. They should expedite the reconstruction of liberated territories, bolster the National Coalition, finance rebels fighting for a democratic Syria and apply diplomatic pressure to pave the way for a political transition, says Kristin Helberg
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Essay by Amel Grami
A Turning Point in Tunisia's Transition
According to the renowned Tunisian academic and intellectual Amel Grami, the two-pronged policy being pursued by the Islamist Ennahda party under the leadership of Rachid Ghannouchi threatens to split Tunisian society in two and push the revolution to the brink of the abyss
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The Moroccan Pro-Democracy Movement
Down, But Not Out
The Moroccan protest movement has lost much of its initial momentum. A clever strategy on the part of the palace, that has combined political concessions with repression, a lack of allies, the international economy and the fate of the uprisings in other Arab countries have all severely weakened the movement. But the Kingdom of Morocco has not seen the last of protests and uprisings. By Beat Stauffer
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The Egyptian Artist Ali Abdel Mohsen
The Natural Pessimist
Ali Abdel Mohsen is one of the young, original, and generally irreverent artists who appeared as if out of nowhere in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution and who have completely altered the Cairo art scene. A portrait by Claudia Mende
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Tunisia's Government in Crisis
A Political Earthquake
The murder of the leftist politician Chokri Belaid has plunged the nation's already beleaguered government into deep crisis. In particular Ennahda, the strongest party in the coalition, now has its back to the wall. Sarah Mersch reports from Tunis
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Iran's Role in the Syrian Civil War
Masters and Servants
As the military situation has grown more and more difficult for Syria's Baath regime, Iran has become an irreplaceable ally for President Assad. The mullahs have succeeded in extending their influence in Damascus and building up a network of militias in Syria. Birgit Svensson reports
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Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
The Heavy Burden of the Open Borders Policy
The crisis of the Syrian refugees is growing day by day in neighbouring Lebanon. State institutions are neither able nor willing to deal with the situation. Bjorn Zimprich talked to Guita Hourani, Director of the Lebanese Emigration and Research Center, about the plight of the refugees and the social problems the refugee crisis is creating for Lebanon
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Interview with Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu
Dialogue Should Not Legitimize Assad
In an interview with Kersten Knipp, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warns against interpreting Syria's civil war as a religious conflict. This perception could play into the regime's hands, he says