Obituary: Christoph Sydow
A keen-eyed observer of the Middle East who asked the right questions and found answers to many of them. A sportsman you could rely on. But above all, our dear friend and colleague. We mourn Christoph Sydow.
Daniel Gerlach
Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
In 2017, zenith’s editor-in-chief, Daniel Gerlach, met Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, “the Engineer” behind a prominent Iraqi paramilitary organisation, who was killed on 3 January by a US drone strike in Baghdad. Who was he and what drove him?
Gilles Kepel and the Middle east
Gilles Kepel’s latest book on ‘getting out of the chaos’ in the Middle East can be read as an account of the interplay of authoritarian rule and Islamist mobilisation. Or as a critical appraisal of Kepel’s own intellectual journey.
Jihadism vs Muqawamism
The ideology of resistance is a distinct feature of powerful armed groups in the Middle East. It is time to introduce a new concept and, probably, a new term.
Obituary for Katja Brinkmann
Katja Brinkmann was an Arabist who explored the Middle East of all ages. She hoped that, one day, she could write another history of Syria. We mourn our dear friend, colleague and co-founder.
Russia's Involvement in the Syrian Conflict
Once perceived as a mere spoiler, Russia has become an agenda-setting power in the Middle East. Now that the US have pulled out politically, expectations are even higher. Can the Russians handle them?
101 Years on From the Sykes-Picot Agreement
It’s time to look beyond the “original sins” of the Sykes-Picot Agreement and European interventions in the Middle East. Europeans should calmly make plans for the region’s future, but explain their intentions clearly.
Confronting the Middle East’s Bloody Past
Without a proper appraisal of the past, the violence in Middle East will continue to echo throughout the region and cause ever greater devastation.