Middle East & North Africa

ISIS lives off bare bestiality. While their opponents are paralyzed with fear, the work of satirists flourishes. Meanwhile Bashar al-Assad tries to present himself as the lesser evil in Syria.

The official relationship between Israel and Iran is tainted. But nonetheless both states have shared characteristics and common goals. This article analyzies which steps could be realistically undertaken to make things better for both sides and strengthen the bilateral relationship – unilaterally.

Above all, the West wants stability in Syria. Because he has managed to sit out everything that has happened in recent years, the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad seems to offer this very stability. But accepting the kind of stability Assad offers would mean having to forget the atrocities committed by his regime.

New weapon technologies may lead to insecurity in the Middle East. Therefor both Disarmament and Arms Control are indispensable in the region.

The regime must not remain unpunished for the use of chemical weapons. If the U.S. and its allies do not act, the people themselves will feel even more isolated than before, and they will learn that there are no limits to the brutality.

Lebanon is facing a complete paralysis of all state institutions, accompanied by a deteriorating security situation and a fragmentation of Lebanon into zones of sectarian conflict. The conflict in Syria is worsening the division within the country.

In reaction to the Arab Spring the Foundation decided to expand its programmes to North Africa and, in the summer of 2012, began to establish a new office in Tunis which opened in May 2013.

Our Israel office in Tel Aviv, established in 1998, is a continuation of programmes that began in 1992. The office aims to promote Israeli democracy, debates about the Middle East conflict, and exchanges and dialogue between Israel and Germany.