Kersten Knipp
Political and cultural development in Middle East and North Africa, also the politics and culture of the Romance-language nations of Europe.
Knipp's passion is politics in the Middle East. Knipp speaks and writes Arabic and has authored several books about the politics and history of the Middle East, as well as European perceptions of the region.
Knipp believes the Middle East to be "a laboratory for modernity" – that is, an area where change has come fast, sometimes in a splendid way but also often, unfortunately, with disappointment and unfulfilled aspirations. Politics in the Middle East bring so many promises — democracy, the rule of law, human rights — but these are not always realized due to regional and global conflicts still awaiting a solution.
Having studied Romance languages, Knipp's second passion is culture. Even though this is not his regular beat at DW, he has a great interest in the culture, politics and history of the Romance nations of Europe and Latin America, and has written several books on this subject too.