Most recent articles by Cathrin Schaer
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Young people in Iraqi KurdistanTurning towards religion or away from it?
Young people in northern Iraq are so disillusioned that many are trying to leave the country any way they can. Some fear widespread discontent could push people toward potentially dangerous religious fundamentalism. By Cathrin Schaer
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Electioneering in LibyaCould Muammar Gaddafi's family stage a comeback?
The children of Libya's brutal and erratic former dictator Muammar Gaddafi are becoming more popular as the country's elections, scheduled for 24 December, approach. Some fear they could benefit from an increasingly fragmented political scene. By Cathrin Schaer
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Mohammed VI's coefficient swindleMoroccan elections will be about maths, not change
The country's national election on 8 September will likely bring new government. But neither experts nor locals expect it to bring long-promised change, writes Cathrin Schaer
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US withdrawal from IraqNot Afghanistan: Why the US and Iraq won't leave one another
While agreeing last week to a withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, neither Iraqi nor US leaders can admit publicly how much they need each other. By Cathrin Schaer
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Cyber disinformationHow dangerous are the Middle East's "electronic armies"?
The Middle East is plagued by electronic armies working at the behest of one regime or another. Long used by those in power as a weapon in the fight against activists and dissidents, such operations can have deadly consequences for those caught in the crosshairs. Cathrin Schaer has the details
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Maghreb and the EUWill medicinal cannabis become Morocco's no.1 export?
A law is currently being debated in Morocco that would legalise the cultivation and export of medicinal cannabis. For many small farmers, this would bring considerable advantages. But the bill is controversial. By Cathrin Schaer
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COVID-19 in the Middle EastArab countries face high coronavirus vaccine hesitancy
The rollout of coronavirus vaccines in the Middle East and North Africa is already taking place on a massive scale, with the United Arab Emirates leading the way. Nevertheless, many people are in no rush to get the COVID-19 jab. Cathrin Schaer poses the all-important question: why?
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100 years of JordanPrince Hamzah – just a storm in the royal Jordan tea-cup?
Faced with a deteriorating economy and a discontented populace, Jordan's ruling family is feeling the pressure. Was last weekend's palace intrigue involving Prince Hamzah indicative of a deeper crisis for Jordan, one that could inexorably alter the country's reputation for stability? By Cathrin Schaer
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Economic crisis in LebanonThe subsidy quandary
Flour, medicine, fuel … a whole range of essential goods is subsidised in Lebanon. If the subsidies stop, then prices, poverty and the possibility of conflict increases. If they don't, the country runs out of money. Local experts say they have an answer. They just need politicians to act on it. Cathrin Schaer reports from Beirut