Abdullah Ocalan
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Turkey, Iran – and Iraq's KurdsDays of reckoning
The Kurds are under attack from two sides: from Turkey, and from Iran. The situation in their territories in northern Iraq is becoming increasingly desperate. Birgit Svensson reports from Erbil
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Kurdish autonomy in northeast SyriaBetween Assad and Erdogan
The Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria controls a third of Syria, but is not recognised by anyone. Attacks by Turkey, a threatened takeover by the Assad regime, dealing with tens of thousands of IS supporters and international isolation complicate people's daily lives. Kristin Helberg reports for Qantara.de from Qamishli
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TurkeyJoint Kurdish plan? Turkish opposition hope for election boost
For the first time in 19 years, polls suggest Turkey's opposition could be on track to defeat President Erdogan at the next election. To boost their appeal to Kurdish voters, politicians are now talking openly about solving the Kurdish issue. But how sincere are they and how realistic their chances of success? Leyla Egeli reports
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Arab worldGermany and the Middle East – a tale of morals and markets
Germany's foreign policy is explicitly values-based. But what happens, Ralf Bosen asks, when democracy, the rule of law and human rights collide with the logic of trade and business?
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Saudi Arabia and the U.S.MbS courts Joe Biden over Iran fears and the economy
After months out of the spotlight, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has returned centre-stage with diplomatic and economic moves that diplomats say are aimed at showing the new U.S. president he is a valuable partner who can get things done
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Stealth wealth from the Middle EastHow Assad's family and others have filled their European coffers
Dubbed the "Butcher of Hama", Syria's Rifaat al-Assad is accused of embezzling millions in European real estate. Like him, many regional rulers have preferred to keep their European properties quiet. Tom Allinson reports
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Counter-terrorist, terrorist – what's the difference?YPG returnees under suspicion
The Kurdish YPG militia did the heavy lifting in the fight against the "Islamic State", yet many foreign YPG adherents, including Germans, have come home to find themselves under suspicion of terrorism. By Esther Felden & Matthias von Hein
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Support for Turkey's AKP dwindlesErdogan’s homegrown rivals
Erdogan has ruled Turkey firmly for the last 18 years, but his party now faces a huge challenge: former party heavyweights who have jumped ship to establish their own new parties. By Ayse Karabat
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Syria's constitutional committeeGeneva is key to Assad's rehabilitation
Finding a lasting political solution to the Syrian conflict is the challenge facing the constitutional committee that has been meeting in Geneva since the end of October, under UN mediation. But achieving this goal is an illusion, since the Syrian regime has for years shown no willingness to surrender any of its power. By Kristin Helberg
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Turkey's Syria offensiveBurying the Kurdish autonomy project
When the Kurds of Syria came under Turkish fire less than ten days ago, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was left with no choice but to call on Assad for help. Thus ends a political project that many hailed as a model for the future order of Syria. But, as Ulrich von Schwerin points out, it was a project built on very shaky foundations
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The Kemalist CHP and the Kurdish HDPDecision time for Turkeyʹs opposition
Will the CHP take Imamogluʹs success in the re-run of the Istanbul mayoral elections, achieved through the support of the HDP, as an opportunity to finally abandon its rigid attitude towards the Kurds? By Gulistan Gurbey
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Countdown to the Turkish electionErdogan beats the nationalist drum
Elected Mayor of Istanbul in 1994, Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged not blame Turkeyʹs problems on "outside powers, outside forces, or foreigners". Years later, with the weight of the presidency and a struggling currency upon him, that pledge is long gone. By Tom Stevenson