Nine years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, predominantly Shiite Sadr City remains in a state of neglect. The recent discovery of oil seems unlikely to change things in Baghdad's biggest slum.
The marginalization experienced by Iraq's Sunni Arabs under the current Shiite-ruled government is leading to more demands for an autonomous region like that of the Kurds.
In an exclusive interview with DW, a chief commander of the Sunni 1920 Revolution Brigades, says the US pull-out last December does not mean the end of the Sunni insurgency. He also distances his group from al Qaeda.
Since March 2011, Syria has been rocked by unprecedented anti-government street protests, with over 9,000 people reportedly killed in the violence. Read DW's multimedia coverage and analysis of political unrest in Syria.
DW recommends Qantara for content on the dialogue with Islamic world
Tensions are high in Lebanon, where sectarian clashes linked to the conflict in Syria have erupted. DW spoke to Rouzbeh Parsi from the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris about the implications of the violence.
Yemen is mired in chaos:Al Qaeda controls parts of the country, hundred of thousands of people have fled their villages, millions don't have enough to eat. The Friends of Yemen have pledged urgently needed aid.
Egyptians have started two days of voting for a new president. Unlike last year's parliamentary elections, economic issues - not religious ones - are foremost on voters' minds.
Egypt's leftist movement has little hope for fundamental change in the country.
