Latest in Opinion Highlight
Latest in Opinion
20 years from now – the future of foreign investment in Egypt
Only a very few societies have managed to combine massive population growth with massively increased wealth, Banks says
No reconciliation with Muslim Brotherhood: Al-Sisi’s speech to the world
It was a very brief written in-advance speech made by [President Abdel Fattah] Al-Sisi at the New Suez Canal inauguration celebration, where his improvisation was very brief and close to the context. What grabbed my attention, though, was when he spoke about the war on terrorism, or more clearly, the state’s war on the Muslim …
Israel struggles with racist underground
Israel is struggling with how to deal with groups, some of which are underground, that are linked to a banned nationalist political party that has emerged at the core of recent racist, anti-Palestinian incidents and include a militant football fan group that was responsible for last month’s violent clashes during a Europa League qualifier in …
Notes from America: The dark side of Western fascination with Africa
The West’s fascination with Africa as a wild jungle or uncivilised continent has a long history that still lives with us today. Most Americans know Africa through National Geographic specials, topless natives and free roaming animals – a continent void of civilised people and culture, only famine, danger and wild landscape. Africa has also long …
The Cairo derby: Politics vs repression
This month’s premier league final between Cairo’s two storied clubs, Al-Ahly SC and Al-Zamalek SC, once the world’s most violent derby, was more than a clash between two football giants. It was a clash between management styles and diametrically opposed approaches towards militant, highly politicised, street battle-hardened football fans. The clash highlighted the advantages of …
Reflections of history on the Suez Canal
“The tour boat passes a mosaic depicting the glorious triumph of the Egyptian people in re-capturing Sinai… The soldiers look upwards and onwards, towards progress and towards the future”
On the verge of a new war
The poor, Mr. President, have waited a long for someone to perceive them with sympathy, and to pull them up above the poverty line, so are you up for this?
Yemen conflict and Arab uprising: Regional fissures and repercussions
Saudi Arabia’s four-month old bombing campaign against Houthi rebel forces in Yemen has had mixed results beyond devastation in the region’s poorest country. The insertion of Saudi-trained Yemeni ground forces that support exiled president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi led last month to the capture of the port city of Aden from the rebels. The Yemen war …
Opinion: Pakistan clearing its death row backlog
Despite rights group protests, Pakistan has hanged ‘teenage’ convict Shafqat Hussain. But the resumption of executions as a tool in the fight against terror is just a populist excuse, says DW’s Florian Weigand. To put it bluntly, I am against the death penalty. The punishment is, in essence, inhumane. It is often forgotten that it …
What can the US do for Egypt?
US Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to visit Egypt on Sunday. This comes as part of broader American diplomatic efforts to coordinate the fight against terrorism in the Middle East with regional allies. It also comes in the aftermath of Iran’s nuclear deal that is expected to have a deep impact on the …
How Egypt lost its soft power edge
Egypt was always widely renowned for its soft power, which it used to shape and influence millions of Arabs – those living in the Middle East region as well as Arab emigrants abroad. Unfortunately, we have been steadily losing our clear superiority in this area over the last few decades, due to hindrances created by …
Opinion: Germany’s Green Card was ahead of its time
Germany’s complicated and unattractive Green Card opened the national labor market to foreign IT specialists 15 years ago. The country has managed to learn quite a bit from this experience, DW’s Heiner Kiesel writes. Germany’s Green Card would probably have gone down as a footnote in the history of the country’s migration debate had it …
Notes from America: Watermelon’s summer tales
Mark Twain once said: “When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat.” And most likely, that angel was an Egyptian. Egyptians were the first to discover watermelons 5,000 years ago and then shared them with the rest of civilisation in the 10th Century. When it comes to eating watermelons, there are many …
Opinion: Should we be glad that Cecil the lion is dead?
The killing of a well-known wild lion in Zimbabwe by a US dentist and amateur trophy hunter has spread rapidly on the Internet and sparked the public’s ire. But can this have any lasting impact? Cecil the lion is dead. When I first heard the news – on Tuesday – I thought: Another rare and …
Opinion: end of an era
With Mullah Omar’s death, the Taliban have lost a unifying figure. The possibility of another Taliban regime in Afghanistan might be over, but that also puts the ongoing peace talks at risk, says DW’s Florian Weigand. There is no doubt that the death of Mullah Omar has closed a chapter in the recent history of …
Opinion: KMW-Nexter merger creates European arms giant
The German tank manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann has merged with its French competitor Nexter. DW’s Sven Pöhle fears that the alliance could weaken German guidelines on arms exports. Last November, Frank Haun, CEO of German tank manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), openly complained about being treated like a mistress. “Everyone needs what we have to offer, but …
United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Conflict, terrorism, economic turmoil, natural calamities, disease: we are living in an era of unprecedented crises and troubles, as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned. Record numbers of people are fleeing war and persecution, and the international community is grappling with acute migration challenges in the Mediterranean, the Balkans, in the Andaman Sea, …
Opinion: Erdogan on the warpath
Turkey is bombarding "IS" strongholds – but also those of the Kurdish PKK. That fact is endangering the peace process between Ankara and the Kurds, says Turkey correspondent Reinhard Baumgarten. The radicals are gaining the upper hand and the intra-Turkish peace process is hanging by a thread. Now everyone is waiting for a statement from Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader…
The increasing burden of diabetes in China
China’s economic growth in the last three decades has dramatically transformed the nation’s economic landscape, removing 500 million people from poverty. This progress, however, has been accompanied by an increase in some diseases – such as diabetes – notably associated with increased urbanisation and changed lifestyles. Twenty-five years ago, the number of people with diabetes …
Opinion: Froome deserved better treatment
There are reasons many people doubt that cycling is completely free of doping. But DW's Joscha Weber says that Tour de France winner Chris Froome didn't merit the attacks to which he was subjected. Imagine the following scenario. Lionel Messi heads to the corner, sets up the ball on the pitch and a spectator dumps a cup of urine on…
Will the new Investment Law launch Egypt’s investment recovery?
Egypt has recently enacted a new law on investment that amends the Egyptian investment law, with high hopes that such a new law increases the chances in restoring confidence in Egypt’s investment climate. An objective evaluation of the new law requires a neutral analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, taking into consideration the existing impediments …
The parliament and the Egyptian elite
I have never officially belonged to any political current. I never held a membership card for any political party, or even an NGO. I was, and still am, proud of being a journalist standing at an equal distance from all currents; I admire the behaviour of some and reject the behaviour of others. I was, …
Opinion: Nkurunziza’s victory puts Burundi at risk
In Burundi the Electoral Commission has announced that incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza has won Tuesday's elections, as expected. His victory puts the country's future at risk, says DW's Dirke Köpp. More than 80 people dead, countless injured, hundreds of arbitrary arrests and an atmosphere of oppression and violence which has caused more than 175,000 Burundians to flee their country. All…
Opinion: Turkey steps up fight against ‘Islamic State’
Turkey has belatedly entered the international battle against the "Islamic State." However, the country needs to fight more than IS in order to ensure peace and stability at home, DW's Seda Serdar writes. Following the July 20 attack on Suruc that killed 32 people, Turkish officials finally decided to take a strong military action against the "Islamic State" (IS). The…
Fascism Incorporated: Our fault
When the blood of the other becomes a fathomable reality, fascism is born. I remember well standing among thousands in front of the UN, on 30 June 2013, as we screamed atop our lungs against one dictator, but little did we know we would help usher in a decidedly more bloodthirsty one. All it took …
Health risks of electronic devices
By Dr Cesar Chelala As computers and other electronic devices are becoming more widely used – particularly by young people – little consideration is normally given to the health risks they pose. This is a situation that has to change soon, to avoid unnecessary injuries and even serious health risks among people using them. Desktops …
Security is key to the UAE’s freedom
By Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance,” said the 18th century Irish politician John Philpot Curran. I could not agree more, especially when there are so many unscrupulous people abusing their freedom to create violence and anarchy. Sadly, troublemakers and crazies have succeeded in turning parts of the Middle East …
I was a terrorist in the making
Short are the moments when you can review the details of your life. In these short moments, you see many details. It was during one such moment that I realised that I went through many changes that few people have been through. I grew up in a labour environment, in the iron and steel city …
What is the role of Bedouin tribes in Sinai’s insurgency?
By Khaled Okasha On 26 August 2012, at exactly 10:30am, Ibrahim Oweida Abu Youssef was assassinated by an explosive device planted on the route to his house in the town of Khariza in Al-Hasna City, south of Al-Arish according to a statement by Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis group a few days after. The information in the …
Fan opposition to Qatar goes viral
By James M. Dorsey World Cup host Qatar is discovering the reputational risk involved in hosting high-profile mega sporting events. Qatar Airways’ sponsorship of FC Barcelona is producing exactly the kind of publicity that is a corporate sponsor’s worst nightmare, while a Swiss investigation of the Qatari World Cup bid threatens to expose questionable financial …