Vladimir Putin
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Syria’s White Helmets
Stigmatising saviours
As mass murder takes place in Syria before the eyes of the world, civilian volunteers – such as the Syrian White Helmets – continue to be the subject of an extraordinary propaganda campaign. Instead of facts, this is dominated by fake news and a large dose of inhumanity. By Emran Feroz
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Moscow's cultural policy in the Middle East
Arab ambassadors for Russian interests
The Kremlin is seeking to spread its influence abroad through its foreign cultural work. The plan is working brilliantly in the Middle East, says Joseph Croitoru
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The left-wing/right-wing alliance of Assad apologists
Disenchantment with the West?
Why do left- and right-wingers in Germany defend Assad′s tyranny? Gunther Orth has some answers
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Turkish-U.S. relations
Erdogan's Machiavellian motives
The Turkish president and his AKP party are adept at switching sides. Now they're embracing Putin and damning the United States. Why? Because an up-coming trial in America could potentially compromise Erdogan. By Bulent Mumay
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Navid Kermani′s refugee trail reportage
Snapshots of a new reality
Navid Kermani has created an enduring monument in a fleeting genre about a turning point in European history, a modest and insightful example of humanism in European letters. By Marius Meller
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Securitising Turkish foreign policy: Turning back the clock
Turkey′s armed forces chief is due to visit Tehran this week, the trip is the latest by the region′s top generals in and out of Ankara. This military traffic is being seen as evidence of a foreign policy increasingly dictated by security concerns, last seen in the 1990′s. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul
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Battle for Syria
Trump's constructive ignorance
The U.S. war on terror is creating more terrorists and will further destabilise the Middle East. Only in Syria could Trump's military determination potentially contribute to a negotiated solution, says Kristin Helberg
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The Syrian conflict
Mendacious diplomacy
As the war in Syria rolls on and civilians continue to die, caught in the deadly crossfire of a multi-front conflict, the Syrian military and political opposition – bowing to intense international diplomatic pressure – has been dragged into political negotiations that lack the minimum conditions for success. Essay by Burhan Ghalioun, former chairman of the Syrian opposition Transitional National Council
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Germany′s ′Nazi′ methods
Erdogan – the expert on democracy
In likening present-day Germany to the Nazi era, Recep Tayyip Erdogan demonstrates that his ignorance of Germany is on a par with his ignorance of Nazism. As the Lebanese journalist Hazem Saghieh writes, it is a glaring example of the illiteracy that is prevalent among politicians in the Middle East
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Another year of civil war in Syria
Nothing short of scandalous
Six years on and the European Union still has no coherent plan when it comes to Syria. Even the possibility of co-operating with Russia continues to be ignored. Commentary by Omid Nouripour
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Social media and the Arabellion
The myth of the Facebook revolution
Today, six years after the so-called Facebook revolutions of the Arab Spring, the hopes once placed in the social media have largely vanished. Authoritarian regimes in the region have long since succeeded in taking control of these channels and using them for their own ends. By Niklas Kossow and Ilyas Saliba
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US Middle East policy under Donald Trump
A recipe for further catastrophes?
Trump's election is also being seen as a caesura in the Middle East. Many fear a return to a simplistic way of thinking, which would make his presidency a nightmare for the region, says Loay Mudhoon