Iran conflict
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Farewell to multilateralism in the Middle East
The death of Arab unity
The collapse of traditional multilateralism in the Arab world has been accompanied by a significant shift in American Middle East policy under President Donald Trump, writes Jasmine M. El-Gamal in her essay
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Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities
Hitting Saudi Arabia where it hurts
After the drone attacks on two oil plants in Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Trump warned that the USA was ready with a "loaded" weapon to react to the attacks. But against whom is his warning directed? By Karim El-Gawhary
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Identity politics in the West
Islam – no longer the bogeyman
The champions of white identity are re-grouping. In the West hostility towards Islam has had its day. It is now being absorbed into common or garden racism, says Stefan Buchen in his essay
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Interview with Iranian author Amir Hassan Cheheltan
"Literature is based on politics and eroticism"
Amir Hassan Cheheltan has not published a novel in Iran in 15 years. The 62-year-old author does intend to refrain from writing either about politics or eroticism, as censorship in Iran prescribes. In Europe, meanwhile, his works are enjoying increasing popularity. Eight books by Cheheltan have already been published in German. Interview by Nasrin Bassiri
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Reassessing the Islamic Republic
Did the Iranian revolution deliver?
According to the well-known Tehran political science professor, Sadegh Zibakalam, if Iran were to hold a referendum on the Islamic Republic today, over 70% would clearly oppose it. Forty years on from the foundation of the Islamic Republic, Ali Fathollah-Nejad revisits the promises of the revolution to explore why this is the case
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Israeli attacks on bases in Iraq
Is war with Iran on the horizon?
So far, Iraq has always been neutral in the face of a possible war between Iran and the USA. But recent Israeli air raids on Iranian bases in Iraq reveal a different reality: Tehran's rulers apparently can no longer count on the neutrality of its neighbouring country, writes Ali Sadrzadeh
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German-Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar
What it means to be Iranian these days
Whether in the news or on social media, what is currently penetrating the outside world from Iran depicts an all-encompassing crisis. For Iranians observing from the diaspora, this constitutes a scarcely tolerable new banishment into impotent speechlessness and helplessness. By Parastou Forouhar
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Sufism in Iran
Finding joy in times of trouble
Islamic mysticism from the Sufi tradition is experiencing a renaissance in Iran – much to the irritation of the Mullahs. In recent years, tensions between Sufis and the orthodoxy have escalated into tangible enmity. By Elisabeth Kiderlen
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Europe's policies in the Middle East
Late-colonial convulsions
The UK has stopped an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar. Italy and France are supporting opposing parties at war in Libya. Germany has other priorities. Europe is doing almost exactly what it did 100 years ago. An essay by Stefan Buchen
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Rising tension in the Middle East
Where are the USA and Iran heading?
Now the nuclear agreement in its present form no longer applies to Iran either. On Sunday it began enriching uranium beyond the 3.67 percent mark, thus exceeding the limit set by the agreement. Meanwhile, the economy is in ruins, poverty is spreading and Iranian security forces have announced tough action against possible protests. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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The Islamic Republicʹs existential crisis
Will Iran crack under the strain?
Iranʹs 2017–18 popular uprising heralded a new chapter in the history of the Islamic Republic that, in its fortieth year, is mired in acute and seemingly insurmountable domestic and foreign policy challenges, writes Ali Fathollah-Nejad. Seemingly, there is no end in sight
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U.S. policy on Iran
Trump's fake "stability" premise
The United States justifies its policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran by accusing the nation of "destabilising" the region. But neither is stability the correct criteria for evaluation of Middle East politics, nor is Tehran essentially behaving any differently to its neighbours, says Ulrich von Schwerin