Barack Obama
All topics-
Saudi Arabia's foreign policy
Pilgrimage to Pakistan
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has become increasingly estranged from the US, the world power that has held its protective hand over the kingdom for many years. The royal family has now changed the course of its foreign policy and sees Pakistan as a suitable strategic partner and a counterbalance to the influence of Turkey and Iran in the region. By Mai Yamani
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Nuclear Conflict with Iran
Time for the West to Shift its Stance
The Iranian President's latest overtures in the nuclear row are being followed with great interest in the West, where the attitude that Iran must now follow up its words with deeds still prevails. But if the negotiations are to succeed, the West must also signal a readiness to make concessions, says Ulrich von Schwerin
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Interview with Roxana Saberi on the Elections in Iran
''The Syrian Situation Is Sending a Message to the Iranians''
The Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi was sentenced to an eight-year prison term on bogus espionage charges in Iran in 2009. She was released following the intervention of US president Barack Obama. Saberi does not believe that the presidential elections in Iran on 14 June will bring major political changes. An interview by Tobias Köberlein
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Obama's Visit to the Middle East
Winning Peace through Hearts and Minds
Following his recent visit to the Middle East, US President Barack Obama was heavily criticised for his praise of Israel and his clear commitment to the country's security. Alon Ben-Meir argues that Obama has to win the trust of Israelis before progress can be made in the peace process. He also says that both sides have to live up to their responsibilities, make painful concessions and change their public narratives in order to reach a viable solution
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Iran's Electoral Strategy
All Options off the Table?
Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program have again hit a wall, but the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appears unconcerned. Indeed, Khamenei seems convinced that neither the United States nor Israel will attack its nuclear facilities – at least not before the US presidential election in November. By Mehdi Khalaji
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Interview with the Pakistani Lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar
Fighting the Injustice of the US Drone Programme
Pakistani lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar defends victims of American drone strikes in the Waziristan region of Pakistan, not hesitating to press charges against employees of the CIA. Marcus Michaelsen spoke with him
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Israeli–Iranian Relations
Demagogues Sounding the Alarm
Since the publication of the latest IAEA report, which indicates more clearly than ever Iran's intention to build nuclear weapons, the sabre-rattling in Tehran and Jerusalem has got louder. Threatening gestures on both sides are nothing new, but the fact that they are also the product of internal turf wars in both camps is often overlooked. Joseph Croitoru sheds some light on the matter
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10 Years after 9/11
Terror in the Name of Virtue
The truth, which has become something of a taboo, is that Osama bin Laden was a calamity for the world, as was George W. Bush. The latter dreamed of seeing his name go down in history, and 9/11 was an opportunity too good to pass up. Ten years after the attacks on the US, we should remember the victims of both men, writes Jürgen Todenhöfer