MIDDLE EAST

Syria back in the fold

Authoritarian leader Bashar al-Assad welcomed back into the Arab League despite widespread rights abuses

CONFLICT | CRISIS

Israel: assault on judicial independence the tip of the iceberg

Protest movement rises – but needs to acknowledge the full reality of repression

Bahrain: a botched whitewashing attempt

Hosting of Inter-Parliamentary Union summit inadvertently throws the spotlight on denial of democracy and human rights

Iran: fearless protests, fierce repression

Theocratic regime responds with full force to its biggest-ever challenge

Qatar 2022: glory at what price?

World Cup tainted by migrant workers’ deaths and numerous other human rights abuses

Bahrain: election without freedoms falls far short of democracy

Empty election ritual held in the absence of opposition leaves ruling power untroubled

Israel: most extreme government ever on the cards

Netanyahu is back, set to lead a government with far-right racist elements

Lebanon: people take on the banks

Driven to desperation by government failure, depositors resort to extreme measures to recover their money

ECONOMY | ENVIRONMENT

Iran: could women protesters bring down the theocracy?

Death of woman detained for ‘improper hijab’ triggers widespread protests against patriarchal regime

Iraq: endless political crisis benefits no one but elites

It’s time to listen to the demands of the young protesters calling for radical change