Arab world
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Middle East oil states
Surging energy prices likely to de-rail reforms?
The Ukraine war has seen energy prices spike with oil producers in the Middle East making more money than ever. But will it put the brakes on long-planned reforms to diversify oil-reliant economies in the region? By Cathrin Schaer
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The killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
The face of a generation
Dalia Hatuqa is an experienced journalist who has reported on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Ramallah, Washington DC and Amman. A writer for Time Magazine, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post, CNN, and others, she first met Shireen Abu Akleh ten years ago in Washington. Most recently, they were colleagues at Al-Jazeera. Interview by Rene Wildangel
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Ukraine and the West's selective values
Less 'clash of civilisations', more rift
Very different Western reactions to the suffering in Ukraine and the Arab world show that there is a profound rift among cultures. Essay by Michael Young
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Repression in Sisi's Egypt
Egyptian media workers – systematically intimidated
Since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi seized power in Egypt in 2013, he has ruled the country with an iron fist. Civil society, opposition and free press struggle to survive. Tens of thousands of political prisoners, including at least 24 media professionals, are behind bars. Sofian Philip Naceur reports
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Egypt's food crisis
Wheat from the desert?
The lack of grain supplies from Ukraine is forcing Egypt to act. Now even the Toshka project is being revived to grow grain in the desert. Birgit Svensson travelled to see it
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Jewish pilgrimage to Tunisia
Faith meets politics on Djerba
A Jewish festival at the historic synagogue on Djerba island in Tunisia is often touted as a successful example of Jewish-Muslim coexistence. Yet, as Kerstin Knipp writes, political tensions still play a role
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UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
Iran and Islamists a threat to Gulf safe haven
United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on 14 May, has led a realignment of the Middle East, creating a new anti-Iran axis with Israel while fighting a rising tide of political Islam in the region
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Marianne Manda's "Der Atem Kairos"
Portraying Cairo's everyday heroes
In this unusually beautiful book of images and text, published in German and Arabic, artist Marianne Manda presents her own unique take on the megacity of Cairo. In over fifty portraits, she offers a touching insight into the lives of those who inhabit this metropolis of millions. By Volker Kaminski
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Elections in Lebanon
Despite public anger, Lebanese vote set to entrench status quo
Lebanon's elections on Sunday won't yield a seismic shift, say experts, despite widespread discontent with a corruption-tainted political class blamed for a painful economic crisis and a deadly disaster
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Kais Saied's creeping coup
Who will save Tunisia's democracy now?
Tunisia's president has been carrying out a coup by degrees, demolishing the country's hard-fought democratic gains bit by bit. With an economy in turmoil and a splintered opposition, is there anybody that can stop him?
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Islam in Southeast Asia
Autocratic versus democratic Islam
Indonesia has become a primary battleground between democratic and autocratic visions of Islam in the 21st century, with Nahdlatul Ulama pitted against Abdullah bin Bayyah, a Sunni high priest who provides UAE autocrats with religious legitimisation. Commentary by James M. Dorsey
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Morocco and Spain
What price Madrid and Rabat's "historic" reconciliation?
Since Spain abandoned its traditional neutrality towards the conflict in Western Sahara, Morocco has announced a "new phase" in relations between the two countries. But what is the price of Spain's support for autonomy in the Sahara? Mohamed Taifouri analyses the situation for Qantara