Kurdish-Turkish Conflict
All topics-
Turkey, IS and the Kurds
Powder keg on the Turkish-Syrian border
More than 200,000 people from Kobani have fled the IS onslaught and sought refuge in Turkey. But as the days pass, anger and frustration at what they see as Turkish inactivity is growing. More and more Kurds, from both Syria and Turkey, are now considering taking up arms not only against IS but also against Turkey should Kobani fall. By Kiran Nazish in Mursitpinar, Turkey
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Interview with Turkish author Murathan Mungan
"Politics needs a new language"
Murathan Mungan is one of Turkey's most famous authors. His works deal with topics such as the Kurdish conflict, political Islam and gender issues. Ceyda Nurtsch spoke to him about language, identity and political resistance
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Book review: "Embers" by Murat Uyurkulak
The oddballs of Ominosia
The Turkish writer Murat Uyurkulak's novel "Glut" (roughly translatable as "Embers") is a socially critical allegory of his homeland. Although not available in English, it has recently been published in German translation. Ceyda Nurtsch reports on a book that to the astonishment of its author has escaped the sharp eye of the censors in Turkey
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Portrait: the singer Cigdem Aslan
Songs of the outcasts
Rebetiko is a musical genre that describes the emotionally charged songs of Greeks who were expelled from Turkey in the wake of the population exchange of 1923. Cigdem Aslan, a young Kurd from London, lends her powerful voice to the stories behind these songs. By Marian Brehmer
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Local election re-run in Turkey
"My strategy is honesty"
On 1 June 2014, some local elections in Turkey were re-run after the results of the original polls were contested. Re-runs were held in the provincial capitals of Agri and Yalova. For the citizens of the eastern Anatolian city of Agri, the outcome was a surprise: the candidate of the Kurdish BDP party, Sirri Sakik, clearly prevailed against the ruling AKP, taking 51 per cent of the vote. Observations from Agri by Ekrem Guzeldere
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The Kurdish theatre company Teatra Si
Out of the cellars and onto the stage
The Kurdish-language theatre scene has been developing in Turkey since the 1990s. One group committed to promoting Kurdish language and art is Teatra Si, a theatre company from Istanbul. Ceyda Nurtsch met with its members in Berlin at the start of their European tour
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Book review: "Taksim is everywhere"
"This was a social uprising, not simply some demonstration"
Deniz Yuecel, a journalist for the German daily newspaper "taz", interviewed 96 different protesters for his first book, "Taksim ist Ueberall" (Taksim is Everywhere), which was recently published in Germany instead of in Turkey. In view of the fact that the writer Erol Oezkoray was taken to court for allegedly insulting Prime Minister Erdogan in his book on the Gezi phenomenon, this is perhaps a good thing. Luise Sammann introduces the book and its author
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Turkey's corruption scandal
No light at the end of the tunnel
As the massive corruption investigation targeting allies of Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues, the Turkish prime minister has accused the judiciary of a conspiracy against his government. But what is behind these accusations? Ulrike Dufner has some answers
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The Gulen Movement Strikes Back
"Power Struggle Weakens Erdogan"
Supporters of the Gulen movement and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are now at odds with each other. Turkey expert Günter Seufert explains what this power struggle means for Erdogan
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Syria and the Middle East
The End of the Sykes Picot System?
Aside from the human suffering caused by Syria's ongoing war, we should be aware of the potentially dire regional consequences of Syria's disintegration: It would call the entire post-World War I Middle Eastern state system into question. By Volker Perthes
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Syria and the Middle East
The End of the Sykes Picot System?
Aside from the human suffering caused by Syria's ongoing war, we should be aware of the potentially dire regional consequences of Syria's disintegration: It would call the entire post-World War I Middle Eastern state system into question. By Volker Perthes
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Interview with the Kurdish Singer Aynur Dogan
Resisting the Wind
Aynur Dogan sings in Turkish and Kurdish, the political tone of her songs is deliberately provocative. Her last album "Rewend" focuses on itinerancy and connection to the homeland. Marian Brehmer spoke to her