Arab Spring
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Egyptian Writer Alaa al-Aswani
Democracy Is the Solution!
The well-known Egyptian writer and activist Alaa al-Aswani praises the President for his decision to replace the country's two top military generals. But, he says, Mohammed Mursi must now prove that he is really serious about establishing democracy in Egypt
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The Gulf Monarchies and the Arab Spring
Counter-revolution in the Gulf
Far away from the attention of Western media, the oil-rich Gulf monarchies are currently trying to avoid being hit by the wave of uprisings and revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East. So far, they have not only been successful in doing so, they've even managed to exploit the uprisings for their own purposes. Matthias Sailer reports
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Changes in Egypt's Military Leadership
Mursi Reaches Agreement with the Generals
The changes in the Egyptian military leadership are not the result of a "civilian putsch", says Stephan Roll of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). They are rather the result of a long-planned changeover from one generation to the next, in which the generals will continue to hold a veto in any future political system
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Javier Solana on Finding a Solution to the Syrian Conflict
Towards a Syria Consensus
In this commentary, Javier Solana, former foreign minister of Spain and secretary-general of NATO, considers the impact that a possible overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would have on the entire region and reflects on the steps that could be taken to set in motion a chain of events that could lead to a transition of power in Syria
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Lin Noueihed and Alex Warren on the Arab Spring
Post-revolution Patchwork
In their book The Battle for the Arab Spring: Revolution, Counter-Revolution and the Making of a New Era, Lin Noueihed and Alex Warren show how differently the countries affected by the uprisings of 2011 are developing. They conclude that for a number of reasons, post-Arab Spring democracies will not turn out to be similar to those in the West. Paul Hockenos read the book
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Literature and Collective Trauma in Algeria
Moving Beyond the Examination of History
Perception of Algerian literature is dominated by the complex thematic backdrop of violence and the processing of traumatic experience. What are the reasons for this? In a piece to mark the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence, Martina Sabra debates this issue
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Aleppo's Old Town
World Cultural Heritage Threatened by Syria's Civil War
Large-scale destruction is being inflicted on the unique historical and cultural legacy of the Syrian commercial metropolis Aleppo. And the people of the city had actually only just begun to show an interest in that legacy. By Claudia Mende
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The Political Legacy of the Baath Regime
Assad's Systematic Destruction of Syria
According to the writer Khaled Hroub, it's the Assad regime which carries the responsibility for the escalation of the violence in Syria: since the start of the initially peaceful revolution in the country, it is the regime which has driven the militarisation of the conflict. The regime has also split society along religious lines and destroyed the national structure of the country
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Report from the Battle Zone of Aleppo
Too Much Trust in God
For weeks, the rebels and the Syrian army have been fighting for control of Aleppo, the strategically important trade capital in the north of Syria. Suffering most under the violence in the embattled city is the civilian population. Peter Steinbach reports from Aleppo
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Syria and Iran
Two Lone Friends
The leadership in Tehran is currently doing everything in its power to prop up the regime in Damascus. If Bashar al-Assad falls, Iran too will find itself dangerously isolated and is unlikely to be able to withstand the pressure of sanctions, says Bahman Nirumand
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The Supreme Military Council in Egypt Loses Its Power
The Old Guard Steps Down
The political disempowerment of the supreme military leadership in Egypt must be the most important event since the fall of the former president, Hosni Mubarak. For the first time in the recent history of the country, a civilian president has issued a ruling which publicly confronts the military. By Karim El-Gawhary
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The Armenian-Syrian Musician Hrach Macoushian
''It is Craziness to Support the Assad Regime!''
Hrach Macoushian is a musician from Aleppo in Syria. The Armenian with Syrian citizenship came to Yerevan two years ago to escape military service in Syria. Lennart Lehmann talked to him about the prospects for the Armenian minority in Syria and about his experiences under the Assad regime