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Turkey’s government is hounding opponents. Shortly after its narrow – and disputed – referendum victory in April, it extended the state of emergency and ran yet another purge of the police. The media had been silenced before the referendum and cannot hold the authorities accountable anymore. By Hans DembowskiMore

The authoritarian course taken by the Turkish government is adversely affecting relations with Germany: the more the values in the two countries drift apart, the weaker the basis for a reliable and stable partnership. By Gulistan GurbeyMore

Repeated demands for Germany to take a firm line with Erdogan and to end the refugee deal with Turkey have become a favourite mantra of many among the German opposition parties. A hardening of the rhetoric alone, however, is hardly likely to induce Erdogan to change his tack. By Ulrich von SchwerinMore

In the past few months Turkish President Erdogan has repeatedly called the borders of Turkey into question and implicitly laid claim to neighbouring territories. While such statements are mainly aimed at his own citizens, the neighbouring states are getting nervous, particularly now that Erdogan has dispatched troops to Syria and Iraq. By Ulrich von SchwerinMore

Opinion in the Arab world is divided when it comes to the policies adopted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the coup attempt in Turkey. Islamists feel their position has been strengthened, while liberal and conservative Arabs look upon recent developments with concern. Analysis by Joseph CroitoruMore

The well-known Saudi analyst Khaled al-Dakhil posits that if it was secularism that led the West out of the Dark Ages and into the Enlightenment and if, at the same time, secularism means atheism and a lack of religious faith, then it was the latter, rather than faith, which paved the way to science, insight and freedomMore

The thwarted coup of 15 July is being celebrated by the AKP as well as large sections of Turkish civil society as a victory for democracy. But the state of emergency and the mass arrests spotlight the authoritarian political tide in Turkey. Ceyda Nurtsch reports from IstanbulMore