Monthly Archives: January 2016

In this new opinion piece for the New York Times, former mayor of Diyarbakir’s historic Sur district Abdullah Demirbas describes the destruction of the vision of co-existence that Sur had come to symbolise, and repeats his persistent call for peace … Continue reading →

US Vice President Joe Biden‘s meetings with Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, during his visit to Turkey, have once again exposed a deepening rift between the two allies over treatment of the Syrian Kurdish group, the Democratic … Continue reading →

On a cold but sunny Tuesday morning, the ground covered with snow, I drove about 80 kilometers to Silivri High Security Prison, as it was my turn to join the vigil for my colleagues being kept there for “crimes” linked … Continue reading →

Turkish authorities reportedly have intelligence suggesting that Russiamight be preparing to establish an air base close to Turkey’s border with Syria, a step likely to deepen tensions that flared between the two countries after Turkish warplanes downed a Russian fighter jet in … Continue reading →

Nothing can better describe the current madness which has taken hold of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its mouthpieces in the media — about the witch hunt that threatens the security of more than 1,000 academics who … Continue reading →

The title, I believe, describes the current mindset of the ruling party of Turkey, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), much more precisely than the word “madness.” Not only that, but Germans also have a strong recollection of the consequences … Continue reading →

As the government has been pushing for a new constitution that will involve switching Turkey‘s parliamentary system to a presidential system, one of Turkey’s internationally most renowned political scientistays that this is most likely to be a Turkish-style presidency without checks and … Continue reading →

Here is the story by Der Spiegel:   A lot happened on New Year’s Eve in Cologne, much of it contradictory, much of it real, much of it imagined. Some was happenstance, some was exaggerated and much of it was … Continue reading →