Syrian Civil War
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Syrian anti-war video "To Our Countries"
Embarrassing media hype
Syrian sisters Faia and Rihan Younan, residents of Sweden since 2003, have triggered a global hype with their peace song "To Our Countries". While western media reaction to the video has been for the most part enthusiastic, the response in the Arab world has been one of scorn. By Martina Sabra
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Independent media in Syria
Flourishing despite the violence
The vibrant alternative media landscape that has developed in the rebel-controlled areas of Syria in recent years is a thorn in the side of both the Assad regime and the radical Islamists. By Joseph Croitoru
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Interview with Yasmine Merei from the women's magazine "Saiedet Souria"
A new, more self-confident Syrian woman
The magazine "Saiedet Souria" would like to be the mouthpiece for a new generation of Syrian women. Juliane Metzker spoke with editor-in-chief Yasmine Merei about the battle for equal rights under the Assad regime before and after the uprisings in 2011
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Syria's cultural heritage under threat
"Virtually nothing is left"
It is now plain for all to see that the destruction of Syria's cultural heritage is far worse than anyone expected. Michel al-Maqdissi, director of the Archaeological Excavations Department at the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums from 2000 to 2012, tells Mona Sarkis how dire things really are and of the mistakes made by UNESCO
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The Kurds and Turkish–Iranian relations
Caught between two stools
As differences over Syria and Islamic State continue to deepen between Turkey and Iran, Kurds living across the Middle East are set to become pawns in the intensifying rivalry between these two regional powers. By Dorian Jones in Istanbul
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Video: Guido Steinberg on global jihadism
Islamist terror: a global threat? Guido Steinberg, a Middle East Analyst at the German Institute for International & Security Affairs, discusses this question in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
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The Syrian conflict and the fight against IS
Time to treat allies like allies
In Syria, unilateral uncoordinated air strikes against IS (Islamic State) are turning people into victims instead of partners in the battle against terror. If they are to win over the Syrians, the international alliance must treat rebels and activists as allies, says Kristin Helberg
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The genesis of Islamic State
A new chapter in the decline of the Arab world
IS is a child of the late cold war and at the same time the beginning of a total war against the countries of the Arab East. It is the consequence of a collapse of political, moral and social values in the region, writes the Lebanese author Elias Khoury
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Interview with Kinan Azmeh and Dima Orsho
"All we can do is sing and play our hearts out"
Clarinettist Kinan Azmeh and soprano Dima Orsho, friends since childhood, are two of the most talented musicians to emerge from the Damascus music scene. Marian Brehmer talked to the two Syrian musicians at the Morgenland Festival in Osnabruck about playing music in times of war and misery
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Military strikes against IS
Fragile alliance
The fight against IS is bringing East and West closer together and uniting the Arabs at the same time. However, it is possible that this alliance will only be of short duration. By Birgit Svensson in Baghdad
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Syrian refugees in Turkey
Time for Turkey's allies to rally round
Turkey has quietly taken in one-and-a-half million Syrian refugees, yet assistance from Europe has thus far been shamefully inadequate. According to Stefan Kornelius, both the EU and NATO are leaving an ally in the lurch
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Interview with the Syrian writer Samar Yazbek
Divided society, divided souls
Samar Yazbek is a rebel. From an early age, she rose up against societal conventions, demanding her right to lead a free and self-determined life as a woman. When the revolution erupted in Syria in 2011, she was on the front lines of the struggle, but subsequently had to leave the country because of death threats. Claudia Kramatschek talked to her