Society

Saudi Arabia and 1979
Saudi Arabia and 1979

Saudis, who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, only need to ask their parents and grandparents what another Saudi Arabia may look like. Forty years after 1979, our generation can finally influence the course of the country.

Irakische Armee
Interview with Iraqi pollster Munqith Daghir

Munqith Daghir runs the Iraqi polling organization IIACSS. The rise of the so-called Islamic State (IS) could have been predicted, he believes. He shares what to expect from the newly formed government and why the S in IS matters more than the I.

Ägypten 1979 - Ein Essay
Remembering 1979 in Egypt

Camp David rewarded Egypt's army for peace but also paved the way for the repressive surveillance state. When the revolution hit the streets in 2011, it dawned on our author how pivotal 1979 proved to be in that context.

Demining in Libya
Demining in Libya

Mines and unexploded ordnances pose a threat at every step of the way. Efforts to dispose of the remnants of war aim to reclaim safe spaces–and a common ground for shared experiences for Libyans from all parts of the country.

African migrants in Tunisia
African migrants in Tunisia

At Tunisia’s only existing refugee centre, scores of illegal migrants are trying to move on from their cursed journeys through Libya.

Agriculture, conflict and climate change in Iraq
Agriculture, conflict and climate change in Iraq

A year after the military defeat of the so-called Islamic State group in Iraq, livestock breeders living in the outskirts of Mosul cannot afford to repopulate herds decimated by the war, drought, climate change and government neglect.

Interview with author David Ranan on anti-Semitism
Interview with author David Ranan on anti-Semitism

David Ranan has spent years researching attitudes of Muslims in Germany. In this interview, he elaborates on differing roots of anti-Semitism in Europe and the Middle East and proposes a two-way educational strategy to face prejudices and hatred.

»Unsere Kultur ist doch auch nur von Menschen geschaffen«
Saad Albazei on Reforms in Saudi Arabia

Saudi intellectual Saad Albazei is sympathetic to the Crown Prince's reforms and their effects on national identity and advocates for Saudi Arabia to embark on a path to change on its own terms.