Arms trade
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27th Men's Handball World Championship
Egypt 2021, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s search for a fig leaf
Hosting major sports tournaments can confer prestige on a country, but in the case of Egypt, the 2021 Handball World Championship will do little to repair relations with either the United States, Italy, or the Arab Gulf states, argues James M. Dorsey
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Egypt – Dollars to despots
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's international patrons
Egypt's economic strategy of heavy borrowing implicates international actors in regime repression and increased social deprivation of the lower and middle classes, effectively fuelling instability and violent extremism – not only at home, but also potentially across the Middle East. An analysis by Maged Mandour
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War crimes on the Hindu Kush?
Death by drone – the United States' vicious Afghan legacy
The United States carried out more drone attacks on Afghanistan in 2019 than in any other year since Pentagon records began in 2006. The victims of this questionable military tactic, portrayed as precision strikes to kill alleged militants, are frequently innocent civilians, yet no one seems to care. Emran Feroz reports
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Book review: Nava Ebrahimi’s "Das Paradies meines Nachbarn"
The scars of war
War, escape, exile and the question of one’s own identity are central themes in Nava Ebrahimi’s second novel "Das Paradies meines Nachbarn". Gerrit Wustmann read the book
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Military dictatorships in the Middle East
The real enemies of the Arab Spring
For people in the Arab world to be able to throw off the yoke of military rule, a new balance must be struck between political and social forces and the military. Though it is now years since the Arab Spring, this goal still seems a long way off. By Ali Anouzla
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Russian involvement in Libya
Backing Haftar to the hilt?
The rumours that Libyan General Khalifa Haftar has Kremlin support are as consistent as his advance on the country's capital. In Syria, Russia has flexed its military muscles – but it isn't yet showing its cards on Libya. By Emily Sherwin
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Weathering the Saudi blockade
Qatar thrives under pressure
The blockade of Qatar led by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in the summer of 2017 was a shock for the small emirate. Meanwhile, however, it seems to have more than recovered: the economy is growing and the leadership is bursting with determination and self-confidence. By Anchal Vohra
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Repression against journalists
A world of Khashoggis
Following the death of the Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, there are fears that the masterminds of the murder could go unpunished. A development that sends a fatal signal to journalism worldwide, writes Daoud Kuttab
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Peace talks in Stockholm
Yemenis – pawns in a cynical game
The problem with peace negotiations is always that the perpetrators of war represent the only hope for a resolution. In the case of Yemen, the talks are being conducted by the very same warring parties that led the nation into what is currently the world′s greatest humanitarian crisis. Commentary by Karim El-Gawhary
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Interview with Karl-Otto Zentel, General Secretary of CARE Deutschland
Yemen – what is the world waiting for?
With the latest round of peace talks aimed at ending the war in Yemen underway in Sweden, Karl-Otto Zentel, General Secretary of CARE Deutschland, gives his own assessment of the civil war and the chances for peace. Interview by Carsten Gruen
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Sisi's self-defeating security plan
A bloody year in Sinai
The Egyptian government has intensified its military campaign in the Sinai peninsula with the aim of finally shutting down a jihadist insurgency linked to IS. Hundreds may have died, but the insurgency continues with no end in sight. By Tom Stevenson
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Murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Donald Trump's ersatz reality
The gruesome killing of former Saudi government advisor and journalist Jamal Khashoggi will not lead to dissociation with Saudi Arabia, says Stefan Buchen in his essay. After all, the most powerful man in the West is Donald Trump, one of the murdererʹs best friends