Free speech and censorship
All topics-
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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Ukraine war
Iran – at Putin's beck and call?
While Russia's watershed invasion of Ukraine has up-ended long-established European foreign and security policy paradigms, it also poses significant security challenges for countries throughout Eurasia and beyond. As Ali Fathollah-Nejad writes, Iran is by no means immune to the geopolitical changes underway
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Turkish opposition
Courting Turkey’s disenchanted electorate
Despite the economic crisis and Turkey's increasingly undemocratic track record, surveys show the ruling AKP is still the party of choice. So what exactly is holding back the opposition? Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul
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Russian war censorship denounced on World Press Freedom Day
Russia's ranking on the World Press Freedom Index has fallen again over the Kremlin's wartime censorship of the Ukraine conflict. From Myanmar to Mexico, journalists continue to risk their lives to deliver the news.
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Arundhati Roy: India's voice of conscience
Writing is activism
Frequently outspoken in her criticism of political developments in her home country India and around the world, Booker Prize-winning novelist and prolific essayist Arundhati Roy has proven that politics and fiction do go hand-in-hand. By Manasi Gopalakrishnan
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Dayton, Putin, the EU
Bosnia and Herzegovina's 30-year struggle
Separatists continue to threaten to destroy Bosnia & Herzegovina. A look back indicates the tiny western Balkan state is lacking democracy, the rule of law, prosperity and the prospect of being integrated into the EU soon. By Rudiger Rossig
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Sportswashing in Saudi Arabia
Formula 1, football, golf – Saudi Arabia makes a point of attracting major sporting events. The strategy is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "Vision 2030" and is meant to boost the country's image. By Andreas Sten-Ziemons
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Cairo to Kyiv
Social media's rocky ride through conflict zones
Setting up Ukraine's official Twitter account in 2016, Yarema Dukh knew that social media was the best way for his country to get its message out. And yet the tortuous history of its relations with protest movements and governments – from 2011's Arab Spring to Myanmar – suggests Ukraine will have to fight to hold on to its gains
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Ukraine war and the Gulf
UAE – safe haven for sanction-dodging Russians
It's sunny and politically stable, there is little financial transparency and it's easy enough to invest in a business or property and get a residency visa in return, writes Cathrin Schaer
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Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon
Sentenced for a selfie: police target LGBTQ+ phones
An in-depth study of court files has found that police forces in Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon are increasingly relying on digital tools to identify, entrap and prosecute LGBTQ+ people – thus "intensifying anti-queer surveillance". The study reveals the extent that the safety of LGBQT+ people in the Middle East can be compromised by their digital footprint
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Saudi Arabia's detainees
Speak your mind – face the consequences
Family and activists hope that Raif Badawi will be released soon. However, the well-known blogger is not the only activist behind bars for expressing dissenting views. By Kerstin Knipp
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What to do with Assad?
Taming Syria’s rogue man
The more-for-more approach could kickstart the deadlocked political process, but it won't resolve the conflict in Syria. Assad must go. Any strategy that fails to bear this in mind long-term is not only unfair to Syrians and humanity as a whole, but will plant the seeds for the next conflict in the region. By Karam Shaar