Middle East

The particular danger of islamophobia is its potential to forge a broad alliance of otherwise opposed political forces: Muslims serve as the embodiment of the ultimate enemy for conservatives striving for Western hegemony – and for progressives standing up for freedom of expression, rationality, human rights, and the rights of women.

No doubt, there are reasons to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary. The very fact that Israel has made it up to now is all but self-evident, considering its widely hostile neighbours and its extremely contradictory internal condition.

A report on a conference in Beirut with the goal to highlight regional environmental problems and search for and discuss sustainable solutions.

Annapolis bedeutet den Beginn virtueller Verhandlungen. Diese werden wenig dazu betragen, die unterschiedlichen Visionen und Ziele der Beteiligten einzulösen.

Prof. Shlomo Avineri erläutert anhand historischer Beispiele, unter welchen Bedingungen den USA eine erfolgreiche Intervention im Nahen Osten gelang und bewertet das Treffen von Annapolis in diesem Kontext

Eine Analyse der Ergebnisse der Konferenz und der Perspektiven. Erst die kommenden Monate werden zeigen, ob das Treffen von Annapolis ein Erfolg war. Es gibt positive Elemente und ungeklärte Punkte, grunsätzlich bleibt die Stimmung aber positiv.

Über die Ergebnisse der Konferenz aus palästinensischer uns israelischer Sicht.

Über die Neigung arabischer Kommentator, pessimistisch zu sein, nur um Recht zu behalten

George Giacaman from Birzeit University in Palestine explains how partial democratisation in the Middle East serves to stabilise the rule of oligarchies - and at the same time is in the interest of Western powers who are afraid that complete democratisation will undermine their influence in the region.

Two journalists who participated in a media workshop in September/October 2005, organized by the Lebanese American University and supported by the Beirut office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, were murdered within less than a year by gunmen in the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Both Sarwa Abdul-Wahab and Sahar Hussein Ali Al-Haydari were passionate journalists who lived and died to recount their country’s agonizing story.

This dossier contains summaries of regional roundtable discussions and background information on international approaches to the crisis over the Iranian nuclear programme.

The latest Arab Summit, held in the Syrian capital Damascus on March 29 and 30, 2008, was preceded and accompanied by intense diplomatic wrangling and threats of a boycott, all geared to pressure the Syrian hosts to change their position towards the political crisis in Lebanon. The Syrian analyst Sami Moubayed provides a political appraisal of this summit.

Large numbers of Iraqi live in neighbouring countries, especially Syria and Jordan. This report attempts to give an overview of the origin and magnitude of the crisis, probes the likelihood of substantial numbers of refugees returning in the near future, and assesses the responsibility of international actors towards the refugees.

On 18 February 2008, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung hosted a dinner discussion with Knesset member Yossi Beilin in Berlin which was attended by politicians, journalists, diplomats, and academics. According to Beilin, the real danger of an Iranian nuclear weapons capability will be the shifting balance of power in the Middle East rather than an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel.

A report about the project on environmental awareness for school children and their families, conducted by the Arab Middle East office of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

He who wishes to avoid the fatal alternative: “to bomb or to accept”, must therefore focus on a combination of overtures and pressure when dealing with Iran.