Politics

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
By Ceyda Nurtsch
Shia clerics in Iran

"Save Islam" – or just the mullahs?

Are the Shia clergy disappearing as a pillar of Iranian society, degenerating into a mere power apparatus? Nationwide attacks, vilification and the murder, or attempted murder, of mullahs are becoming more frequent. Every turban wearer is seen as representing and symbolising the hated regime. By Ali Sadrzadeh
By Ali Sadrzadeh
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
By Erkan Arikan
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
By Yaşar Aydın
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
By Sonja Hegasy
Turkish elections

Can Turkey's Gen Z tip the scales?

In Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections on 14 May, one in five eligible voters will be under the age of 30. What does Generation Z want, and will it end up deciding the elections? By Ceyda Nurtsch
By Ceyda Nurtsch
UN Special Envoy Volker Perthes on Sudan

"We must make sure this war does not drag on"

UN special envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes rejects accusations that the West is to blame for the current crisis in Sudan. In interview with Kossivi Tiassou, he warns of "bounty hunters" and mercenaries from abroad joining the conflict while tens of thousands of Sudanese citizens flee their country
By Kossivi Tiassou
Iran protests

What the Islamic Republic's propaganda tells us

Challenging one of the Islamic Republic's most identifiable symbols – the hijab – with some breathtaking, iconographic feminist art, Iran's activists have wrested ownership away from the clerics with regard to who represents the nation, defines its present and shapes its future. Essay by Kevin L. Schwartz & Olmo Goelz
By Kevin L. Schwartz, Olmo Goelz
Resurgence of Pakistan's Taliban

Terror returns with the TTP

When the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan just under two years ago, analysts warned that their return would also mean a return of the threat posed to neighbouring Pakistan by offshoot Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). By Mohammad Luqman
By Mohammad Luqman
Identity politics in Modi's India

The need to prove you're Indian

Nearly 2 million people in India's Assam state – over 5% of the region's population – are staring at a future where they could be stripped of their citizenship if they are unable to prove they are Indian. Sheikh Saaliq and Shonal Ganguly report
Israel at 75

A nation more divided than ever

As Israel prepares to mark Independence Day, the country is at a crossroads. A planned judicial reform by the far-right government has led to deep divisions. By Tania Kraemer
By Tania Krämer
Power struggle in Sudan

Concern mounts among Sudan's neighbours

South Sudan, Chad and Egypt all depend on stability in their neighbour Sudan, whether for economic, humanitarian or security reasons. All the more reason to hope that the current ceasefire holds. Martina Schwikowski reports
By Martina Schwikowski