Authoritarianism
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Turkey election fallout
Erdogan no winner, despite opposition defeat
The Turkish opposition was defeated in the run-off, with candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu failing to unseat long-time ruler Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who will rule the country for another five years. But the president is hardly the winner. Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul
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Turkey election fallout
Voting for the devil you know
Three crises – including the economy and earthquakes – likely counted towards Recep Tayyip Erdogan's election win. That and the fact that all the means of the Turkish state were at his disposal during campaigning. By Erkan Arikan
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Turkey election run-off
Too much politics of fear from Kilicdaroglu?
Turkey's presidential run-off between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu takes place on 28 May. Why were so many surprised by the initial outcome? And why the opposition's sudden political shift to the right? Political scientist Berk Esen talks to Ceyda Nurtsch
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Turkey elections – the second round
Why Erdogan will win
Turkey’s autocratic president and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are likely to retain power, despite rampant corruption and economic mismanagement. That's good news for other right-wing populists, but very bad news for Turkey's cratering economy. By Daron Acemoglu
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Elections in Turkey
Turkish nationalists on the rise
Neither Erdogan's botched response to the February quakes nor the ailing economy seem to have hurt his popularity with supporters. The president is still capable of turning things around, says Erkan Arikan
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Turkish activist Osman Kavala
"We have a strong political opposition"
The Turkish human rights activist Osman Kavala has been imprisoned in Turkey since 2017. Erdoğan's government considers him an enemy of the state. In this interview, Kavala tells Linda Vierecke why he still has hope in spite of it all.
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Elections in Turkey
The end of the Erdogan era?
As polling day on 14 May approaches, opinion polls put Turkey's opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu ahead of President Erdogan. Could this mean that Erdoğan's time at the helm of the nation is almost over? An analysis by Yasar Aydin
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Narendra Modi and Hindutva
Why violence towards India's minorities is increasing
To what extent is Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government endangering India's founding principle as a secular state? Sonja Hegasy spoke to social anthropologist and political analyst S. M. Faizan Ahmed in Delhi
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Freedom of speech in Lebanon
Jail? Don't make me laugh!
In June 2022, Lebanese comedian Shaden Fakih was court-martialled for allegedly humiliating the security forces. She talked to Lena Bopp about coming out on live television, sexism on the comedy scene and the changes in her country
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Tourism in Saudi Arabia
Journey to al-Ula
Saudi Arabia used to be more isolated than North Korea. Now the country is presenting its friendly face to the world and wooing Western tourists. Text by Karin A. Wenger, photos by Philipp Breu
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Power struggle in Sudan
Sudan's generals "should have been dealt with as war criminals"
The representatives of Sudan's civil society made a terrible mistake in agreeing to share power with the military, writes political analyst Ali Anouzla, who feels that by believing the military's promises, the leaders of the country's civil society bear part of the responsibility for what is happening today in Sudan
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Sudanese artists speak out
"It's not our war"
Sudan has become a battleground. But it is not the war of the people who live there, say exiled Sudanese writers Stella Gitano and Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin. By Stefan Dege