Middle East

The Heinrich Böll Foundation is represented in the Middle East and North Africa region with a total of five offices in Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Beirut, Tunis, and Rabat.
Below, you will find all our articles, publications, and thematic focuses on the Middle East.

See the topic page Middle East

Articles

A rusty car, partially buried in the sand, stands crookedly among cacti and rocks in a dry desert landscape in front of a low building under a blue sky.

Women, Peace and Security Sounds Hollow in the Arab World – Now It's Time for Real Change

Published: 29 October 2025

Commentary

Twenty-five years after its creation, the Women, Peace and Security agenda sounds hollow in the Arab World. Our author argues for radical action – to finally place women at the helm of the institutions that claim to champion them.

Lina AbiRafeh

Fünf Podiumsteilnehmende sitzen vor lila Wand beim European Forum Alpbach 2025, rechts Banner und Leinwand zur Palästina-Debatte.

Europe and the Question of Palestine: Between Historical Responsibility and Future Integrity

Published: 22 September 2025

Report

The 2025 European Forum Alpbach featured a discussion hosted by the Global Unit for Human Security (hbs) on Europe’s relationship with the question of Palestine. This article offers an overview of the key themes and points discussed.

A Human Security Imperative Should Guide Europe’s Policies for a Post-Conflict Syria

Published: 8 July 2025

Analysis

As Syria enters a fragile post-conflict phase, Europe must embrace a human-security-driven strategy that centers inclusive governance, economic recovery, and the rights of refugees. The stakes, for Syrians and for Europe, are too high to remain reactive.

Nail Nizamoglu

Strichzeichnung eines Innenhofs mit Galgen; Seil hängt herab, darunter baumeln Beine einer Person, umgeben von hohen Ziegelwänden.

Death by Design: Capital Punishment as an Instrument of Governance and Oppression in Iran

Published: 30 June 2025

Analysis

In the shadow of the war with Israel, the Iranian regime stepped up its internal repression and resorted to even more politically motivated executions. As long as there are no real political consequences for the regime, state violence through capital punishment will continue.

Rezvaneh Mohammadi

Photo: Destroyed buildings and rubble in Gaza, several people walking along a dusty road.

Europe must emancipate itself from the USA in the Middle East

Published: 25 March 2025

Comment

In order not to jeopardize a lasting peace solution in the Middle East, the EU must emancipate itself from the USA. International law should be the guiding principle here, writes Simon Ilse, Head of Office in Ramallah.

Simon Ilse

dossiers

Against the Backlash

Published: 30 November 2021

Dossier

This Dossier contains articles, emerged from the conference „Queer Feminist Perspectives on Political Homophobia and Anti-Feminism in the Middle East and Europe“, which brought together academics, activists and artists within a digital space.

Publications

Green report cover showing a market scene with two people handling bundles of spring onions. Title: Socio-Economic Cost of War and Repression in the Middle East: Why Europe’s Approach Falls Short by Barbara Mittelhammer. Logos: böllpaper and ThinkPeace.

Socio-Economic Cost of War and Repression in the Middle East

Published: 18 June 2026

Policy Paper

War doesn't just destroy infrastructures; it dismantles the social and economic foundations that hold societies together. The US-Israeli war with Iran has exposed how Europe's response remains dangerously blind to the human dimension of conflict.

Barbara Mittelhammer

Green cover with a black oval and black circle.

For Human Security in Middle East Policy: Options for Political Action

Published: 13 June 2025

Security, dignity, and self-determination for all people in Palestine and Israel are the basis for lasting security. An approach based on international law and feminism offers further options for action.

Watching the Donors Conference for the People of Turkey and Syria

Published: 17 March 2023

Policy Paper

The earthquakes that occurred in Turkey on 6 February 2023 are considered the most devastating earthquakes in recent history. On the occasion of the donor conference for the victims of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on 20 March 2023, the policy paper by Onur Bahçecik sheds light on the international response to this catastrophe and in particular addresses the political-economic consequences.

Dr. Şerif Onur Bahçecik

Dual Pressures on Iran

Published: 3 December 2021

Study

The present study by David Jalilvand examines in view of the pandemic, whether the population and, above all, marginalized groups are affected by the precarious medical care in Iran and whether the sanctions are possibly failing to achieve their goal.

Dr. David Jalilvand

"The oranges in Europe taste better"

Published: 11 May 2020

About causes of escape, how to combat them and what's wrong with them.

Paradise lost? Developing solutions to Irans environmental crisis

Published: 25 January 2017

The greatest threat facing the Islamic Republic of Iran today is not political, nor economic, but environmental. This report takes stock of the urgent environmental crisis, and assesses the capabilities of civil society and the Iranian authorities to develop and implement effective solutions.

Perspectives Middle East & North Africa #10: Borders - Lines in the Sand or in the Mind?

Published: 10 October 2016

While the privileged few may cross legitimately by simply presenting their passport, for most, borders present difficult if not insurmountable hurdles. Furthermore there are plenty of other lines of division: social, ethnic, religious and ideological. Any border is a painful memory of the fact that it is not an individual’s choice to define which side he or she is on.

Perspectives Middle East & North Africa #8: Corruption - Between discourse and reality

Published: 5 August 2015

The fight against corruption in the Middle East and North Africa has gone through several ups and downs. Four years after the “Arab Spring”, when demands to eradicate corruption took center stage, we thought it is time to shed some light on the evolution of this issue in the MENA region.

More publications about Middle East (21)