Kurdish-Turkish Conflict
All topics-
Turkish-U.S. relations
Erdogan's Machiavellian motives
The Turkish president and his AKP party are adept at switching sides. Now they're embracing Putin and damning the United States. Why? Because an up-coming trial in America could potentially compromise Erdogan. By Bulent Mumay
-
Criticising Erdogan
Don't romanticise the Kemalist legacy!
The narrative of an "enlightened" and generally democratic Turkey, a country that is currently in the process of being destroyed by Erdogan, should not go unchallenged, says Tayfun Guttstadt
-
Fighting over Kurdish independence
A political fiasco
By going ahead with the referendum on independence, Massoud Barzani has forfeited the support of his international allies, while bringing tensions with Iraqi central government to a dangerous head. If Barzani hoped the referendum would consolidate his own power base, he couldn′t have been more wrong. An analysis by Cigdem Akyol
-
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Securitising Turkish foreign policy: Turning back the clock
Turkey′s armed forces chief is due to visit Tehran this week, the trip is the latest by the region′s top generals in and out of Ankara. This military traffic is being seen as evidence of a foreign policy increasingly dictated by security concerns, last seen in the 1990′s. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul
-
Kurdistan
The future of a people: Good Kurd, bad Kurd
When it suits the political agenda of those in power, the Kurds are seen as good patriots. The rest of the time, they are condemned as villainous traitors. It′s a situation that is repeated in Turkey, Syria and – argues Hoshang Ossi – within the Kurdistan Workers′ Party (PKK) itself
-
Interview with Turkish writer Aslı Erdoğan
"It's my country too"
Celebrated Turkish novelist Aslı Erdoğan was imprisoned for four months in Turkey last year. Despite the awful experience and the pressure being exerted on her, she refuses to be cowed. Writing, she says, is a responsibility. Interview conducted by Ceyda Nurtsch
-
The Kurdish football club Amedspor
"Disciplinary measures are unfortunately part of our team identity"
Despite fielding a succession of repressive measures, the Third-League club Amedspor from Diyarbakir is clocking up the sporting victories. For Kurdish fans from Istanbul to Hakkari, the team represents a beacon of hope in difficult times. By Sonja Galler
-
Turkish referendum: Kurdish voters still undecided
-
The achievements of Erdogan
With me or against me
The Turkish president is adept at cultivating his own public image. Speaking of national unity, he mobilises supporters and denounces opponents. National unity, however, vanished long ago. Erdogan’s divisiveness is exacerbating the country′s problems. Commentary by Timur Tinc
-
Kurdish artists in Diyarbakir
"No room to breathe anymore"
Ever since the Erdogan regime began its crackdown on Kurdish cities and opposition politicians, numerous cultural professionals in the east of the country have felt the noose of repression tightening around them too. By Sonja Galler in Diyarbakir
-
Erdogan and Turkish foreign policy
Neo-Ottoman rumblings
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 Schwerin
-
New wave of Turkish asylum-seekers
Ever optimistic
More and more Turks are applying for political asylum in Germany. They feel threatened and repressed by the Erdogan government and they fear for their lives. Most applicants are Kurds, like Mazhar Zumrut. Yet whether or not the Kurd from Diyarbakir may remain in Germany is uncertain. Report by Volker Witting