Politics

A man and girl feed pigeons in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
History and the Qatar Diplomatic Crisis

Rooted in history, the war of words that has erupted in the Gulf between Qatar and its neighbours is an intensely personal affair for the Gulf ruling families, writes Geoffrey Martin.

Ghassan Salamé disembarks from the UN plane in Al-Qubbah.
Interview with Mattia Toaldo

What tasks face Ghassan Salamé, the new head of the UN mission to Libya? Will the recent Paris peace agreement make a difference? We spoke with Mattia Toaldo, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Umayyad Square in Damascus
Solving the Syrian Conflict

Europe needs to be more actively engaged to help bring about peace in Syria, writes Michel Duclos.

Bassel Khartabil
The Agony of Syria's Prisons

Bassel Khartabil was an influential internet figure and activist in the Syrian revolution. Imprisoned, his wife Noura Ghazi Safadi clung to hope that he would survive.

A man examines wares in the souk in Tunis' old city.
Corruption in the Spotlight in Tunisia

A businessman’s attempts to smear an NGO brings corruption into focus for Tunisa, where corruption remains a perennial problem.

Trucks dump earth and trash into the sea as part of the land reclamation process at the Bourj Hammond landfill in Beirut.
Lebanon’s Latest Waste Crisis

Lebanon’s Khalil Gibran wrote: “In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans.” What is found today in one drop of water in Lebanon may be toxic: a threat to the health of citizens, marine life and the Mediterranean.

The Al Jazeera newsroom in Doha.
Al Jazeera and Arab Journalism

Despite obvious biases in Al Jazeera’s programming, the broadcaster has been a lone critical voice in the Arab media for the past 20 years. That has to be respected, writes Hana Al-Khamri.

Trash from Beirut's landfills is being dumped into the sea, ending up on beaches and in fishermen's nets.
Interview with Constanze Flamme

Trash dumps around Beirut are leaching toxic chemicals and dumping refuse straight into the sea, killing marine life and contaminating beaches. Photographer Constanze Flamme captured the scale of the environmental disaster.