Illustration: Simon Prades
Your Guide
No other major region in the world is as conflict-ridden and unpredictable as the Middle East. No other region is dominated by such fierce struggles over good and evil as well as over falseness and truth. No other region has taken an equal amount of development paths and wrong turns at the same time. This is the reason why non-experts can easily get lost in the multiple deserts of misinformation and be misled by one of their countless mirages. If you are looking for in-depth expert knowledge and a nuanced analysis of this region (Iran, Iraq, Gulf Nations), I would be happy to serve as your guide and consultant. In short: My approach is sober-minded, fact-based, impartial. And yet, not free of empathy for the land and its people, since I have lived and worked in the region for a total of 15 years and many of the people I have encountered along the way have turned into friends. Thank you for your trust. I will do my very best to turn your mission into a success!
Terror at Europe's Gates
Didn't it seem like Europe averted the Islamic State's terroristic threat when ISIS suffered heavy defeats in Syria and Iraq in 2017? But the new attacks in Nice and Vienna in the fall of 2020 proved this hope to be a deceptive one. This book explains where ISIS came from, why Iraq's state collapse in 2003 gave rise to it, and what happened afterwards.
Who rules Iran?
The revolutionary foreign policy of the Islamic Republic is seen as a threat by the West and the Middle East. But who determines the political guidelines within the regime? And how are the power structures built? If you are looking for comprehensive, in-depth information on this topic, you should read this book.
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Taking Stock of a Quarter Century
Since the revolution of 1979 gave birth to the Islamic Republic of Iran, opponents have predicted its collapse on numerous occasions. But despite all of these ominous prophecies, the Iranian regime is stable, more stable even than many other nations in the Middle East. Why is that? Find out in this overview, describing the first 25 years of the regime’s existence.
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Dr. Wilfried Buchta
Resume
Born in 1961 in Herne / Westphalia (Germany).
University Diploma in Arabic and Persian Languages from University of Bonn / Germany.
Studied Islamic Studies, Political Science and Religious Studies in Bonn. Conducted long field study in Iran. Doctorate (P.h.D.) on the Religious Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1997.
Head of Arabic Service of Deutsche Welle (DW) in Cologne (1995-96). National Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Rabat / Morocco (1998-2001). Middle East Project Director for International Crisis Group (ICG) in Amman / Jordan (2001-2002).
Lecturer at the seminar for Islamic studies at the Humboldt University Berlin (2003). Senior Political Analyst for the UN Peacekeeping Mission (UNAMI) in Baghdad / Iraq (2005-2011).
Now lives in Berlin as a political advisor, journalist and author.
Activities
Nonfiction Author and Publicist
- Commentator for German, Swiss and Austrian media on Iran, Iraq, confessional conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis in the Middle East as well as Islamic terrorism.
- Expert opinions on Iran and Iraq for the International Crisis Group (ICG in Brussels), the Bertelsmann Foundation, the GIGA Institute in Hamburg and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
- Advisor in matters concerning Iran and Iraq to members of the German Bundestag who belong to different parties (CDU, SPD) and are active in the Bundestag's Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Expertise on Iran's domestic and foreign policy as well as on the political restructuring of Iraq in the post-Saddam era
- Lectures in the USA, Europe and India on structures, influential forces and political orientations in the Islamic Republic of Iran
- Project evaluations and fact-finding missions for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Pakistan and Iran (1998)