The Yemeni Revolution: Dignity Passed This Way Published: 3 February 2021 Essay In the face of the terrible war and famine in Yemen, Bushra al-Maktari struggles to recall the hopeful beginnings of the revolution. Still, her spiritual retrospective zooms in on a concept that is also central to the Yemeni revolution: dignity. By Bushra al-Maktari
10 Years of Arab Revolutions: Giving up has no future Published: 15 January 2021 Scrollytelling Our trilingual scroll story project: Three stories from Egypt, Syria and Tunisia show that 10 years after they began, the revolutions continue - despite the immense strain and sometimes violent setbacks from the old forces. After all, giving up means dying.
Resolution 1325 is a great tool that has not been tried yet in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Published: 20 October 2020 Portrait Netta Loevy is an uncompromising lawyer of discriminated women in Israel, prefers to be called an activist. She and her colleagues at the NGO Itach-Maaki are improving lives of women and are promoting the agenda of Women, Peace and Security. By Netta Ahituv
The Crisis of the Zionist Left Published: 10 July 2020 Editorial What happened to the Israeli Peace Camp? Is the two-state solution dead? Where is the Israeli left? This special project introduces an ambitious attempt to answer these big questions by shedding light on some of the key dynamics and developments within Israeli society and especially within the Israeli left.
The EU has to speak with one voice: its Role in the Middle East Published: 2 July 2020 Conversation A debate on the US-influence, Covid-19, restricted individual freedoms and the question how the EU should define its role. By Bente Scheller
Coronavirus crisis in Israel: A lifeline for Netanyahu Published: 6 May 2020 Background Benjamin Netanyahu could not even win the third election held within one year. Now, he is using the coronavirus crisis to profile himself as an indispensable statesman and secure his power – to the detriment of Israeli democracy. By Dr. Steffen Hagemann
Syriaʹs crisis within a crisis – coronavirus could hit hard Published: 6 May 2020 Background The corona pandemic has reached Syria. Anna Fleischer, Program Coordinator for Syria, explains why the virus could hit the country extremely hard and above all endanger those imprisoned. By Anna Fleischer
War in Syria: The horror of Idlib Published: 26 February 2020 Comment The recent escalation of violence in Idlib is also a result of the increasing tensions between Turkey and Russia. The victims are those in Idlib, caught up in a hopeless situation amid a huge spectrum of differing interests. By Bente Scheller
CEDAW in Tunisia: EnaZeda fights against sexual violence and discrimination Published: 13 January 2020 Analysis Since September, Tunisians have been reporting experiences of sexual violence online under the hashtag EnaZeda, Tunisian Arabic for "me too". In the meantime, the protest has spread to the streets. By Rachel Doelker
Russia and Iran: Foreign policy as a balancing act Published: 12 July 2019 Comment Russia’s policy in the Middle East is geared strictly to the country’s interests: to fulfil its role as a major power, stabilise the region and minimise every risk as much as possible. This offers opportunities. By Johannes Voswinkel
America’s Iran Policy: Between War-Weariness and Military Escalation Published: 10 July 2019 Comment Donald Trump is caught in a deadlock of his own making. He does not want to find himself responsible for a new war in the Middle East right in the middle of an election campaign. At the same time, he wants to look like a tough guy who never backtracks. This is what is making the situation so unpredictable. By Bastian Hermisson
Nerves on edge Published: 10 July 2019 Analysis The escalating nuclear conflict between Iran and the United States is making life harder for Irans population. In particular, the emergence of a middle class is under threat. By Omid Nouripour
The EU’s role in the conflict between Iran and the USA: de-escalation! Published: 10 July 2019 Comment The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs has appealed to the US and Iran to avoid escalation in the Persian Gulf region. The EU must continue to do everything within its power to save the nuclear deal. By Eva van de Rakt and Anna Schwarz
Brothers in Spirit? Trump, Netanyahu and the Conflict with Iran Published: 10 July 2019 Comment The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is supporting and encouraging Trump’s confrontational stance towards Iran. However, a military escalation would be extremely dangerous for Israel. By Dr. Steffen Hagemann
A Discussion About Syria With Bente Scheller Published: 13 April 2018 Interview "Everything changes as soon as people have the feeling they can actually do something." Middle East Office Director Bente Scheller explains the current state of Syria, and what people can do about it. By Bente Scheller, Nicole Johnson and Alexander Nasserjah
“A good refugee policy has to be a good host community policy” Published: 5 January 2018 Interview Prof. Alexander Betts on his new study on Syrian refugees in Europe and the political consequences that their exclusion from the labour market might have. By Jelena Nikolic
Opening Speech: Towards Accountability for International Crimes in Syria Published: 10 November 2017 Speech A coalition of Syrian civil society, activists and lawyers have filed criminal complaints in Germany against some high-ranking Syrian officials under the principle of universal jurisdiction. A first step towards justice for the victims and survivors of all crimes committed in Syria. By Barbara Unmüßig
At the core of the war in Syria Published: 5 October 2017 No matter how complex and religiously driven the conflict in Syria may seem, its basic constellation is this: A regime with powerful allies wages a war of annihilation against wide parts of its own population. How could it get to this point? And what is the very least we can do? By Bente Scheller
Emily Nasrallah: The “peasant woman” who wrote about her land and won the heart of the world Published: 25 August 2017 Homage The Goethe Medal 2017 will be given to Lebanese writer Emily Nasrallah. In her texts for adults and children, she has found a poetic language to describe everyday life in the Lebanon drawn by the civil war. By Deema Keadbey