To mark the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we have a true story from its early days. It is about a young man's rites of passage, but also an era of deception, self-deception and co-option, when those who made the journey to the other side could be turned by the Cold War into weapons.
Obama calls for building bridges with Muslim world. Pro-democratic parties concede defeat in Myanmar. Afghans upbeat about future, according to poll. Troops at Britain's 'Abu Ghraib' trial may be guilty of war crimes. All this and more in today’s security briefing.
A secret trial in Georgia has recently confirmed fears that highly enriched uranium is available on the black market. When the UK government is making significant cuts to sensitive areas of national security, there is cause for concern
Feared drug lord ‘Tony the Storm’ killed in battle near the US-Mexico border. Post-election fighting causes thousands to flee Burma. Over half of fighters in Somali militias are children, says UN official. All this and more in today’s security briefing.
Face-covering prohibitions in Europe are typically passed on the basis of three arguments: security, women’s rights and secularism. Rational as they may seem, these arguments do not stand up to scrutiny.
The Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh is on a life-threatening dry hunger strike in Evin prison. Silencing Sotoudeh is to silence one brave, talented, and resourceful woman, but also to silence a multitude of civil and political activists
The latest initiative by the Indian home minister to bring an end to the violence in Kashmir through comprehensive talks is met with distrust and incredulity. Kashmiris also have themselves to blame for the dead-end
Almost all the Roma in Brussels come from the Razgrad region in northern Bulgaria and most have no bank account. Travel by plane is generally not an option. Slavtho charges €80 a head from Brussels; €120 return. “Soon Bulgaria will become a full member of the EU. Bulgaria vacation; Brussels work,”
There are many different social codes governing what women can and can’t do in Gaza, where new fact finding missions are beginning to take an interest in their lives
Cas Mudde was quite right to point out recently how liberal arguments are being used in the interests of illiberal attacks on Muslims. However, in the Dutch case this reflects anything but a progressive national consensus
After escaping an assassination attempt in 1997 and being banned from Jordan in 1999, Khaled Mashal, Hamas leader, made his home in Damascus, where Manuela Paraipan interviewed him last week on Hamas’ approach to the current peace negotiations, his view of Hamas’ strengths, its ongoing commitment
A new report shows that British media horizons are shrinking
