Policy on refugees and migration

Confessions of an ex-jihadist

What makes someone a jihadist?

Charting his own descent into extremism, former Moroccan jihadist Adil El Hasani reveals how he was ultimately able to extricate himself from the grasp of those peddling religious illusions. Mohamed Taifouri read the book
The war in Syria

Overshadowed, yet still a major issue

The Syrian conflict remains insoluble for the time being. Yet Europe could start managing it better. By reorganising humanitarian aid supplies, becoming more involved in the northeast and coordinating initiatives in the northwest, it could alleviate hardship, counter extremism and bring hope, writes Kristin Helberg
Africa, not the EU

Tunisia's brain drain

Tunisia's economic and political instability and the increasing reluctance of Europe to take in job-seeking migrants is leading many Tunisians to head for sub-Saharan Africa in the hope of building a better life for themselves and their families. Tarak Guizani reports
Afghan refugee confronts his past

"Flee", one man's story

Jonas Poher Rasmussen's Oscar-nominated animated documentary “Flee” focuses on the life of a refugee from Afghanistan. Based on a true story, it centres around the question: when does flight end? By Jane Esher
Myanmar

Displaced Rohingya face a life without prospects

Attitudes towards Rohingya people in Myanmar have shifted, due in part to the civil war. But this does nothing to alleviate their misery. By Rodion Ebbighausen
Russia, Ankara and Damascus

Who decides Turkey's foreign policy?

Following months spent considering a military incursion into northern Syria, Turkey now appears to want talks with Syria to ensure security and the return of refugees. From Istanbul Ayse Karabat analyses what caused the about-turn for Qantara.de
Ukraine conflict

How Russia is winning the information war in the Middle East

A wide network of official and unofficial outlets and social media in Arabic parrot pro-Russian talking points about Ukraine. They are often lies, yet somehow the reports still appeal to people in the Middle East. By Cathrin Schaer and Emad Hassan
Denmark's new "Flugt" Museum

Flight has a million faces

"Flugt" is the world's first museum dedicated to the stories of those forced to flee. The new museum, which focuses on the fates of refugees then and now, is housed in a former camp for German war refugees on the west coast of Denmark. By Oliver Ristau
Syria and Ukraine

Humanitarian aid is Russia's political football

Millions in Idlib depend on aid coming through a northern border crossing. On 10 July, the UN Security Council votes whether to keep it open. The decision may hinge not only on Syria, but also on the Ukraine war. Diana Hodali reports
Baggage of despair

Iraqi Kurd plans new escape to Europe

Iraqi Kurd Haresh Talib says he struggles to get paid and his children's schooling is disrupted in his conflict-riddled country, so he wants to try to flee with his family to Europe – again. "There is no future here," says the 36-year-old from the autonomous Kurdistan region in Iraq's north
Europe’s contempt for refugees' human rights

Draconian punishments for boat people

At the EU's outer borders, the right of migrants to a fair asylum procedure continues to be systematically disregarded. Take Greece, for example: in the worst case scenario, those shipwrecked may even face a lengthy prison sentence. Alexandra Senfft reports for Qantara.de from Syros
Syria before the war

An exhibition to remember

A new exhibition, "Syria – Against Forgetting", at Cologne’s Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum focuses on Syria's artistic and cultural heritage and pays tribute to the country before the war. By Torsten Landsberg