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Post-truth victims

During the Obama era, the world witnessed what could be referred to as the 'dronification' of killing. Gone are combatant status, war goals and the option of negotiation. No prisoners are taken; people are just killed and anyone who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just gets killed along with them. By Charlotte Wiedemann

The price of acceptance

Allied to the Assad regime in the Syrian conflict, Iran has been luring its Afghan refugee population to sign up for the war with promises of high wages and residence permits for their families. By Shabnam von Hein

Treated like second-class citizens

Iran constantly draws attention to the plight of other peoples and minorities – whether it is the Palestinians in Gaza or the Shia in Saudi Arabia. Yet at the same time, the government in Tehran takes a hard line against minorities living in Iran. According to Emran Feroz, the largest group to suffer as a result of this policy is the Afghan refugees

On the fringes of society

Many refugees currently knocking on Europe′s doors come from Afghanistan. Most of them, however, no longer know their homeland because they are second generation refugees who have grown up in neighbouring Iran. Ghasem Toulany on the situation of Afghan refugees in the Islamic Republic

"There are plenty of traitors"

Verbal attacks, death threats and hate speech are an increasingly common feature of public discourse in Turkey. And many think that this mix of nationalistic, pseudo-religious and discriminatory rhetoric is being stoked by the government. By Ceyda Nurtsch

The Kurdish quagmire

The last thing the conflict in Syria needed was more external intrusion and the opening of another front. Turkey′s Afrin offensive has provided both. Once again, the Western powers and Russia have managed to foster a dangerous escalation. Commentary by Tom Stevenson

Strange bedfellows

Two groups from opposite ends of the political spectrum – U.S. Special Operations Command and the Syrian Democratic Forces (another name for Abdullah Ocalan′s PKK) – are making common cause in northern Syria. By Stefan Buchen and Karaman Yavuz

Creating an elite to lead the state

The movement of Turkish imam Fethullah Gulen has relied on schools, educational institutions and clubs to expand to many countries. Many experts view the movement with scepticism, however. They claim that it has cult-like structures and is pursuing a secret agenda, only pretending to be an open-minded education initiative with a moderate take on Islam. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers Gulen public enemy number one. By Timur Tinc

Filling the gap left by Gulen

The crushing of the Islamic Gulen movement has left a gaping void in Turkey that other organisations are now rushing to fill, with people jostling for the tens of thousands of now-vacant jobs. Conservative foundations and religious orders stand to benefit most from the sell-off. By Ulrich von Schwerin

The Emirs of Panama

The autocratic Gulf states in particular are famous for their covert business style. It′s something they share with Panama′s offshore operations. Karim El-Gawhary reports on the involvement of prominent Arab politicians and businessmen in dubious financial transactions