The Russian-Led Military Exercise in Vostok, 2018. Photo by mil.ru via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY 4.0
President Shavkat Mirziyoev. Photo by kremlin.ru via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY 4.0
Protests against Bouteflika in Béjaïa, Algeria. Photo by Akechii via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Algerian Politics: The Closing Window for Change

July 24, 2019 / Dalia Ghanem

For more than four months protesters in Algeria have been urging a clean-up of the country’s politics and a new constitution. But how realistic is change given the military’s iron grip on power? Algeria, where power has long been firmly consolidated in a deep state, has seen mass peaceful protests since February 22. What started […]

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The town hall in Svidník. Photo by Peter Zelizňák via commons.wikimedia.com, CC0 (public domain)

European Parliament Elections: Land of the Non-Voters

May 24, 2019 / Dariusz Kalan

Is there any hope that the forthcoming European elections will bring positive change for Slovakians? In fact, there is. This year marks the 15th anniversary of Slovakia’s EU accession. But in Svidník in northeastern Slovakia only a few people bother. Svidník is the main city of one of the poorest and least developed regions in […]

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US helicopter over Baghdad. Photo by The U.S. Army via commons.wikimedia.org, CC0

Stakes in Iraq: U.S. and Iran vie for power

May 13, 2019 / Alex Vatanka

The United States’ tough stance on Iran has left many nations in a fix. Iraq is among those most afflicted by the battle for influence – and it remains to be seen whether Iran or the U.S. will prevail. When it comes to American foreign policy, few publications are as gung-ho as the Wall Street […]

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Houcine Abassi, Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT). Photo: Elma Okic via flickr.com, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Three Lessons Tunisia Can Teach Brexit Britain About Building Consensus

April 17, 2019 / Fabian Stroetges

Tunisia’s example offers three important lessons on how to solve divisive political issues like Brexit: consensus should incorporate societal interests beyond government; pressure is helpful, not harmful; and it takes prestigious personalities to mediate a solution. As deadline follows deadline over Brexit, the issue polarizes British society like few issues have for decades. The House […]

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Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in Washington, D.C. Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith via flickr.com, CC BY 2.0
Somali Refugee Camp West of Massawa. Photo by Reinhard Dietrich via commons.wikimedia.org, CC0 1.0

Eritrea Chairs Dialogue on Migration: A Strange Partner

April 8, 2019 / Martin Plaut

In early March 2019, the Eritrean government has taken over the chair of the ‘Khartoum process’, in which Europe and states from the Horn of Africa discuss the critical question of migration – a strange partner. The “Khartoum process”, after the Sudanese capital in which the relationship was struck, is both influential and poorly understood […]

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Soldiers forming up. Photo by Menglong Bao on Unsplash.com
Presidential candidate and comedian Vladimir Zelensky. Photo by Ярослав Бурдовицин via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

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