A prominent rights group in Egypt, the Arabic Network for Human Rights, is ending operations just as the country braces for a controversial NGO law. Is this the beginning of the end for civil society in Egypt? By Jennifer HolleisMore
Arab youth express their hopes and wishes for the New Year, spanning everything from civil and political rights, to education, to arts and culture. By Rafiah Al TaleiMore
Moncef Marzouki was Tunisia's first democratically elected president after the fall of dictator Ben Ali. Today he is the most prominent critic of increasingly counter-revolutionary developments under President Kais Saied. Commentary by Ali AnouzlaMore
Every year in December, the team at Qantara.de takes a look back at the articles that proved most popular with our readers. This year is no different. Here is a run-down of the stories that mattered most to you in 2021. Happy New Year to all our readers!More
Journalists are under fire from all factions in the Yemen conflict. Rasha Abdullah al-Harazi, nine months pregnant, recently died in a car bomb attack in Aden, her husband barely survived. Just one of many, as Diana Hodali reportsMore
Critics are in for a rough ride: in future, opposition media in Turkey that receives funding from abroad will have to disclose all sources of income. Journalists' associations fear a further attack on press freedoms. By Hilal KoyluMore
Germany's foreign policy is explicitly values-based. But what happens, Ralf Bosen asks, when democracy, the rule of law and human rights collide with the logic of trade and business?More
The country's national election on 8 September will likely bring new government. But neither experts nor locals expect it to bring long-promised change, writes Cathrin SchaerMore
Although the United States clearly could have done a better job of managing its departure from Afghanistan, the tragedy playing out this month has been 20 years in the making. From the outset, America and its allies embraced – and never reconsidered – a top-down state-building strategy that was always destined to fail. Commentary by Daron AcemogluMore
Particularly threatened by the Taliban, some artists are trying to destroy all proof of their work. Others are creating last pieces as a form of resistance. Manasi Gopalakrishnan reportsMore
Against the backdrop of growing protests over water shortages, Iran's new hardline president took office last week. For ordinary Iranians, a life in fear and repression will continue, writes Azadeh PourzandMore
The disappearance of Razan Zeitouneh and her colleagues has been one of the greatest mysteries of the Syrian war – until today. DW's investigative unit hunted clues across six countries to track down the perpetratorsMore
The Middle East is plagued by electronic armies working at the behest of one regime or another. Long used by those in power as a weapon in the fight against activists and dissidents, such operations can have deadly consequences for those caught in the crosshairs. Cathrin Schaer has the detailsMore
Fearing persecution and facing threats to their lives, journalists tread carefully in Pakistan. The brave and bold who pose awkward questions are most at risk, writes Pakistani journalist Warda ImranMore
Algerian scholar Said Djabelkhir rejects the charge of "offending Islam". In interview with Ismail Assam, he maintains that he has been wilfully misconstrued. At the same time, he stresses that he was talking in a "historical" manner about Islam, calling for it to move on from the era of fatwas and to look critically at Muslim religious heritageMore
Saturday's historically low election turnout was a reflection of Algerians' ongoing frustration with the political status quo. Faced with mounting state repression, however, the likelihood of the Hirak evolving from popular protest movement into a significant opposition force appears slim. By Ilhem RachidiMore
Each year, thousands of people travel to the Turkish city of Konya to attend a week-long series of events and ceremonies that mark the death of the 13th-century Islamic poet, scholar and Sufi mystic Jalaladdin Rumi. By Francisco Seco
