Arab Spring
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Assassination of Lebanese Intelligence Chief al-Hassan
Lebanon in Syrian Captivity
After the assassination of Wissam al-Hassan, the head of intelligence of Lebanon's internal security forces, everything in Beirut points to an impending storm. Fears of a new civil war are rife. By Karim El-Gawhary
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Saudi Prize for Translations
Big Words, Big Prize-Money
In Berlin, Saudi emissaries have presented the world's largest prize for translation. But the show and the obsequious ritual that go with the prize seem to be more important than anything else: one previous winner has only received a fraction of the prize-money he was promised. According to Werner Bloch, it was a bizarre event
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Interview with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki
"Tunisia is attempting a democratic reconstruction"
One has to be prepared to work with the Islamists for the sake of social peace, says the Tunisian president, Moncef Marzouki. He told Edith Kresta and Renate Fisseler-Skandrani that this applies even if some of them reject democracy
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''Syria in the Firing Line''
Beyond the Violence
International news reporting on Syria is increasingly focused on the armed conflict raging in the country. Yet, civilian opposition to the Assad regime is continuing as well. In her new book, Kristin Helberg reports on the peaceful origins of the Syrian revolution and the workings of Assad's machinery of power. By Martina Sabra
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Interview with the Coptic activist Emad Gad
''Egypt is inexorably developing into a theocracy''
Emad Gad is a leading member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and vice-director of the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. In this interview with Ute Schaeffer and Loay Mudhoon, he criticises the Islamization course being steered by Mursi's administration and explains how Egypt's liberal parties could act as a counterweight to the Islamists
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The Rule of Law and the Crimes of the Gaddafi Regime
The Victims Demand Justice
The Libyan revolution did not happen on the spur of the moment, but resulted from a long-standing anger, and it was paid for with human lives. Now, the crimes of the Gaddafi regime have to be investigated. An essay by Libyan political activist Hadija Ramadan al-Amami
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Reaction in Turkey to AKP's Policy on Syria
Divided Society, Polarised Politics
With relations between Ankara and Damascus already strained, recent military escalation in the Syria conflict is also threatening to deepen the long existing rifts that run between Turkey's political sphere and society as a whole. By Fatma Kayabal in Istanbul
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Inter-Islamic Cultural War
The Despondency of the Political Middle Ground
Despite their poor results in elections, the Salafi movements have succeeded in putting their stamp on the policies of the Islamic mainstream - and moderate Islamists continue to react towards the Salafis with a certain degree of despondency. Samir Farangiya reports on the phenomenon of the new inter-Islamic cultural war
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Women during the ''Arabellion''
Neither Winners nor Losers
The women's movement in Egypt goes back a long way. But how has the situation of women changed in the 18 months since the start of the Arab Spring? The Egyptian-German political scientist and women's rights activist Hoda Salah takes stock
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Domestic Political Crisis in Libya
Stability on Trial
Challenging times ahead for the Libyan government: less than four weeks after his election, Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur has been removed from office by a vote of no-confidence. The security situation remains precarious, as a campaign to disarm the militias continues to make halting progress. More information from Hanspeter Mattes of the GIGA Institute of Middle East Studies
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Interview with Nader Hashemi
On the Compatibility of Islam and Democracy
In this interview with Lewis Gropp, Nader Hashemi, a leading scholar on Islam and secularism, says that the two are far from being incompatible – and that the West has to accept its share of responsibility for the revival of anti-democratic forces in the Islamic world
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Crisis between Turkey and Syria
The Battleground Expands
Despite the shelling by Syria of the Turkish border village of Akcakale, Ankara is avoiding any direct military intervention in Syria without Western or Arab backing. The government has decided instead to work towards setting up safe zones for the opposition on Syrian territory, in an attempt to further destabilise the regime in Damascus. By Thomas Seibert in Istanbul