Accessibility links
Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson Special correspondent Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is based in Berlin. Her reports can be heard on NPR's award-winning programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and read at NPR.org.
Soraya Nelson
Stories By

Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is a NPR foreign correspondent based in Cairo.

Europe

Germany's Chancellor Leads Conservative Party To Victory

Official election results confirm that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have won — but they finished short of an absolute majority. The likeliest outcome is a Merkel-led coalition with the Social Democrats.

Germany's Chancellor Leads Conservative Party To Victory

Listen · 3:55
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/225303948/225303929" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Europe

Germany, Lauded For Welcoming Gays, Lags In Granting Rights

Germany's government has not legalized gay marriage or adoption, a position that could cost it votes in Sunday's election.

Germany, Lauded For Welcoming Gays, Lags In Granting Rights

Listen · 4:15
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/224723013/224723005" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Europe

Germany's Merkel May Need To Include Opponents In Her Coalition

Angela Merkel is likely to win a third term in elections Sunday, but there may be a change in the makeup of her coalition government. It is possible that Merkel's main opponents, the Social Democrats, will be a major part of the coalition, and they would likely push for more stimulus measures to help struggling economies in the eurozone, rather than the austerity that Germany has demanded up until now.

Germany's Merkel May Need To Include Opponents In Her Coalition

Listen · 4:15
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/224514664/224514641" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Europe

German Voters Expected To Elect Merkel To Third Term

If she wins on Sunday, it will put German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the path to becoming the longest-serving female head of government in Europe. But the prospect of another four years with Merkel doesn't appeal to many Europeans outside Germany.

German Voters Expected To Elect Merkel To Third Term

Listen · 4:29
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/224332350/224332102" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Germany's Refugee Policy Tested By New Arrivals

NPD Party activists hold up German flags in the Hellersdorf-Marzahn district of Berlin last month, as they protest a new home for asylum seekers. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Germany's Refugee Policy Tested By New Arrivals

As many as 5,000 Syrian refugees are moving to Germany this month, but they aren't receiving the warmest welcome in a country where a growing number of Germans are unhappy about the steady stream of asylum seekers. Fanning the flames are extremists, who want Germany to close its doors to refugees.

Germany's Refugee Policy Tested By New Arrivals

Listen · 4:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/222958524/222958493" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Middle East

Critics Say Egypt's Constitution Process Is Flawed

Egypt's the military-backed interim president last week appointed a 50-member committee to help draft a new constitution. That committee — which includes only one of ousted President Mohammed Morsi's allies — meets for the first time Sunday in Cairo. Critics in Egypt say the new constitution is likely to be just as controversial as the previous one.

Critics Say Egypt's Constitution Process Is Flawed

Listen · 4:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/220293514/220298949" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Middle East

Egypt Attacks Suspected Militants In Sinai

Egyptian army attack helicopters fired missiles at suspected militants in the Sinai desert Tuesday. The military says at least eight were killed and many more wounded. The army is also moving to seal off the border with the Gaza Strip, and it's destroying smuggling tunnels that have been a major lifeline for Gaza over the past few years.

Egypt Attacks Suspected Militants In Sinai

Listen · 3:40
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/218627284/218627251" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Africa

Egypt's Security Agencies Back, Now With A New Mandate

Egypt's interior minister announced he is resurrecting much-hated security agencies that stifled dissent and helped Hosni Mubarak stay in power for three decades. They were a key target of protestors who forced his ouster in early 2011 and seemed to disappear from the scene for much of what's transpired in Egypt since. But as it turns out, they never went away and this time, have a popular mandate that many Egyptians fear is making them more dangerous than ever.

Egypt's Security Agencies Back, Now With A New Mandate

Listen · 4:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/211434207/211434209" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Middle East

Top Egyptian General Reaches Rock Star Status

The head of Egypt's armed forces who orchestrated the military coup that ousted President Morsi is revered by most Egyptians as a national hero. But many analysts there say it's doubtful Gen. Abdel Fattah el Sissi's popularity will translate into votes at the ballot box should he run for president next year.

Top Egyptian General Reaches Rock Star Status

Listen · 4:22
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/210412636/210412967" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Africa

Egyptian Military Warns Of Crackdown On Morsi Supporters

The military-backed interim government in Egypt says diplomatic efforts to resolve the stand-off with the Muslim Brotherhood have failed. The declaration has raised fears that the security forces may move soon against the sit-in camps, set up by supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi.

Egyptian Military Warns Of Crackdown On Morsi Supporters

Listen · 3:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/209909015/209915313" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Africa

Republican Senators Urge Egypt To Start A National Dialogue

Two U.S. Senators — Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham — joined the parade of foreign envoys visiting Cairo in hopes of a peaceful solution to the ongoing political crisis in Egypt.

Republican Senators Urge Egypt To Start A National Dialogue

Listen · 2:38
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/209584944/209584949" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
In Egypt, 'Third Square' Protesters Seek Middle Road

Activists from a group called "Third Square," which promotes a middle way in the rift between the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of the army's overthrow of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, shout slogans as they gather to oppose both parties at Sphinx Square in Giza on July 30. Asmaa Waguih/Reuters/Landov hide caption

toggle caption
Asmaa Waguih/Reuters/Landov

Political Crisis In Egypt

In Egypt, 'Third Square' Protesters Seek Middle Road

Growing numbers of Egyptians are turning against the generals, politicians and youth group credited with sparking the popular groundswell that led to the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi less than a month ago. Some are joining Third Square, a new movement that's emerged as a result of growing discontent.

In Egypt, 'Third Square' Protesters Seek Middle Road

Listen · 4:27
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/208296608/208351297" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Middle East

Tensions Run High Between Egypt Government, Morsi Supporters

In Cairo, supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi face a possible operation by security forces to disperse their encampments.

Tensions Run High Between Egypt Government, Morsi Supporters

Listen · 3:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/208167248/208167223" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Africa

Morsi Supporters Stage Sit-Ins In Cairo As Tensions Rise

Tensions are growing among the thousands of pro-Morsi supporters camped out around a mosque in eastern Cairo. The government has ordered the protesters to disperse, sparking fears of fresh bloodshed.

Morsi Supporters Stage Sit-Ins In Cairo As Tensions Rise

Listen · 4:06
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/207987828/207987833" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript