Author: Michael Martens

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Operation Olive Branch – Turkish tank convoy at the Turkish-Syrian border (photo: Reuters)

Turkish offensive in Syria

The poisoned olive branch

Turkey has launched its second military campaign in northern Syria. But this time it is not directed against Islamic State. Once again the Kurds are in the firing line. This move also has implications for relations with Russia. An analysis by Michael MartensMore

Turkish tanks roll into Syria to fight Kurdish militiaThe future of a people: Good Kurd, bad KurdErdogan and the Kurdish conflict: A battle for votes
Erdogan′s supporters in Ankara celebrate the AKP′s victory (photo: Reuters)

Turkey′s general election

"The AKP's nationalist strategy has paid off"

In conversation with Michael Martens, the Dutch expert on Turkey Joost Lagendijk analyses the election victory of President Tayyip Erdogan's AKP and the relationship between the "People's Democratic Party" (HDP) – with its Kurdish support base – and the Kurdish terrorist organisation the PKKMore

Turkey's general election: Overshadowed by violence and political polarisationTurkey′s general election: Peace a top priorityThe Gulen Movement in Turkey: Struggling against the "Soldiers of Light"
Recep Tayyip Erdogan (photo: picture-alliance/RIA Novosti/dpa)

Parliamentary election in Turkey

Erdogan's biggest political defeat

Coalition, minority government or new elections? President Erdogan's AKP has lost its absolute majority in Turkey's parliamentary poll. What's more, a new party is now poised to enter parliament. What does this mean for the future of the country? Michael Martens sends this analysis from IstanbulMore

The role of the HDP in the Turkish general election: Beacon of hope for women and LGBTsParliamentary election in Turkey: An absolute majority hangs in the balanceRecep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin: Sunni Islam meets Russian orthodoxy
Fethullah Gülen (photo: Reuters)

The Gülen Movement in Turkey

Struggling against the "Soldiers of Light"

For a long while, the movement led by preacher Fethullah Gülen was aligned with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. But the old marriage of convenience has turned sour – with both sides stopping at nothing to cast the other in the bad light. By Michael Martens in IstanbulMore

The Gülen Movement: Erdoğan Is Not Turkey's Only ProblemThe Fethullah Gülen Movement: Pillar of Society or Threat to Democracy?Qantara.de Dossier: Fethullah Gülen
Protests at Istanbul University (photo: AP)

Protests in Turkey

The Intolerance of Others

While police and demonstrators argue over who was responsible for the death of a protestor in Antakya, female students in Istanbul are abused for wearing headscarves – by other female students. Turkey is struggling with a wave of intolerance that is afflicting all camps. Michael Martens reports from IstanbulMore

Protests in Turkey: Civil Society Versus Father StateProtests in Turkey: Erdogan Braces Himself for a ''Civilian Coup''Protests against Construction Projects in Istanbul: A Government Addicted to Superlatives

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Most Recent Photo Essay

Mandaean religious rites threatened by Tigris water pollution

Every Sunday in Iraq, along a strip of embankment on the Tigris River reserved for followers of the obscure and ancient Mandaean faith, worshippers bathe themselves in the waters to purify their souls. But unlike in ancient times, the storied river that runs through Baghdad is fouled by untreated sewage and dead carp. By Philip Issa