European Union
All topics-
Politics and economics in Iran
Pie in the sky
Four months after the historic nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been left practically empty-handed. UN sanctions against Iran have been largely lifted, but those still in force are so complex that few financial institutions in Europe are daring to conduct any business with Tehran, where there is a growing sense of disappointment – leaving rich pickings for the radicals. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Tunisia's fight against IS
Craving genuine alliance
Terrorism is threatening the only democracy to emerge from the Arab spring. Tunisia needs more support from the international community if it is to win the war on terror, writes Tawfik Jelassi
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Right-wing populism in Europe
Take the AfD seriously – or you'll end up like us
For a long time France ignored the Front National – now it's the nation's strongest party. Germany should not repeat this mistake in its dealings with the AfD. Commentary by Christophe Bourdoiseau, German correspondent for the French daily "Le Parisien"
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Murdered Italian student in Egypt
Disgraceful accusations
The murder of the Italian postgraduate and journalist, Giulio Regeni, in Cairo in February triggered a wave of international shock and protest. Claims that Regeni’s supervisors bear responsibility for sending him into danger are outrageous, writes the French Lebanese political scientist Gilbert Achcar
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EU-Turkey deal
The alternative is Idomeni
Instead of mocking Merkel as a "pushover", those concerned with the welfare of refugees would do better to throw their weight behind realising her plan. Otherwise, we could see Europe adopting the Victor Orban model, the consequences of which can already been seen. Commentary by Daniel Bax
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Turkey′s campaign against the PKK
Siege tactics
Hundreds dead, whole districts reduced to rubble. That’s the outcome of Turkey′s military campaign in its south-east. For two months now, the predominantly Kurdish region has been under a curfew imposed by the Turkish army. Tom Stevenson reports from Diyarbakir
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Geopolitics in the Middle East
A new century dawns
There is no doubt that the crisis-riven Middle East is beset by some unique challenges. As Jeffrey Sachs argues, however, these are not the Sunni-Shia political divide, the future of Assad or other doctrinal disputes, but rather the unmet need for quality education, job skills, advanced technologies and sustainable development
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Book review: ″Auf der Flucht″ by Karim El Gawhary and Mathilde Schwabeneder
Born in the wrong place
″Auf der Flucht″ by Karim El Gawhary and Mathilde Schwabeneder tells stirring and disturbing real-life tales of people who have lost everything. Martina Sabra read the book
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Turkey′s general election
"The AKP's nationalist strategy has paid off"
In conversation with Michael Martens, the Dutch expert on Turkey Joost Lagendijk analyses the election victory of President Tayyip Erdogan's AKP and the relationship between the "People's Democratic Party" (HDP) – with its Kurdish support base – and the Kurdish terrorist organisation the PKK
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The Arab view of the European refugee crisis
Ludicrous squabbling
Syria’s Middle Eastern neighbours have to date absorbed four million Syrian refugees. For this reason the EU should make it plain that despite images of train stations full of refugees, Europe is only shouldering a relatively small part of the current burden. A contribution to the debate by Karim El-Gawhary
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The EU's asylum and migration policy
Necessary migrants
The EU is still without a coherent policy on migration. Yet economic migration from non-EU countries, under carefully managed conditions, is both legitimate and imperative. Not because such migrants deserve Europeans′ sympathy, but because Europe needs them. By Ian Buruma
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One Syrian refugee’s story
″I could no longer live in Syria″
Syrian refugee Alaa Houd left his job and family and hired people smugglers to make his way to the wealthy countries of Western Europe. Hiring people smugglers was his only way of leaving war-torn Syria. Diana Hodali spoke to Syrian Alaa Houd and recounts his story for him