Few political issues are as contested as Turkey's possible accession to the European Union. Will Ankara be able to meet all the criteria in the long term? In our dossier, sponsored by the Ernst Reuter Initiative, we take a look at political, societal and cultural relations between Turkey and Europe
Recent weeks have seen Ankara leave one-time friend Israel out in the cold, while relations with former foe Syria have continued to thaw. Ayşe Karabat explores a possible sea change in Turkey's Middle East foreign policy
Turkey and Armenia decided to establish ties due to a process started for the World Cup qualifying game. But just like in football the process faces risks, even off-side, as Ayşe Karabat reports
In the 1990s the Turkish army killed tens of thousands of Kurds in the dirty war against the PKK. Now these political crimes are coming to light. Details from Istanbul provided by Michael Thumann
The European Union will lose credibility with the rest of the world if it doesn't manage to integrate Turkey fully, says Şeyla Benhabib, professor of political philosophy at Yale University
It is not Islamists or members of the military or the old elite that pose a threat to the Turkish state. Its real enemies operate under cover, as Ahmet Altan, one of the country's most successful authors, explains
Part of the West or leader of the Islamic world? The Arab nations see their neighbour Turkey in various ways. The Jordanian journalist Yousef Alsharif, head of TV station Al Jazeera's Turkey office in Ankara analyses how the perception of Turkey in the neighbouring Arab states has changed
Turkey has skilfully expanded its influence in the Middle East in recent years. The country could also help the EU advance its interests in the region – thus it is about time Europe finally recognised the possibilities offered by a closer collaboration, says Hüseyin Bagci
Proponents of Turkey joining the EU generally point to strategic advantages. However, Turkish membership would bring no tangible benefits because the EU is not yet ready to tackle major security policy challenges, argues Erich Reiter
Following the end of the Cold War, says Cengiz Çandar, Turkey has found it difficult to change the direction of its foreign policy towards becoming a bridge between the Middle East and the West
The rapprochement of Turkey with the EU could have positive repercussions on European relations with the Arab-Islamic world, says Lebanese expert on Turkish Studies Muhammad Noureddine
Driven out by economic hardship and discrimination at local and state level in the 1960s and by forced evacuations in the 1990s, Southeastern Turkey's Aramaeans are starting to return home, only to find that their ancestral lands no longer belong to them. Ayse Karabat reports
Ishak Alaton is one of Turkey's most influential businesspeople of Jewish extraction. Hülya Sancak spoke to him in Istanbul about the current political situation in Turkey and minority rights for Jews, Kurds and Armenians in the country
One of the biggest promises made by politicians of the current government was to lift the ban on headscarves at universities. Critics regard the attempt to lift the ban a fundamental threat to Turkey's secular state. Ömer Erzeren reports
In their most recent friendly match, the Turkish national team won against Germany, with two goals from the Turkish-Germans Nuri Sahin and Halil Altintop. Has the German football association failed to integrate young talents of Turkish origin? André Tucic looks into the issue
Even before Orhan Pamuk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Turkish literature had already taken a major step towards modernization. Turkish author Feridun Andaç reports with an overview of Turkish literature
Elif Shafak's latest novel, "The Bastard of Istanbul", has been tremendously well received in Turkey. However, Shafak is now facing a trial for "denigrating Turkishness" – because of comments made by one of her characters in the novel. Interview by Lewis Gropp
Today's modern Turkish film industry - multi-faceted, complex, innovative, is also home to a new wave of directors whose films no longer shy away from the politically or socially sensitive. Amin Farzanefar takes a front-row seat
The scope of the Iranian government's crackdown on dissent since the disputed June 2009 elections is even broader and the abuses more flagrant than previously reported. More on Human Rights Watch...
Renowned Columbia University Iran scholar Hamid Dabashi hosts "The Week in Green: A Window into the Iranian Civil Rights Movement". The weekly program aims to keep audiences plugged in to news and analysis on the pro-reform Green Movement in Iran. More...
The documentary film The Making of Islam: Empire of Faith covers more than a thousand years of history and culture, and a very large part of the world. Watch full PBS documentary on YouTube...
In "Ghost Wars", Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll tells the secret history of the CIA's role in Afghanistan, from its covert program against Soviet troops from 1979 to 1989, to the rise of the Taliban, to the secret efforts by CIA officers to capture or kill bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998. More...
The "Ernst Reuter Initiative" launched by Germany's Foreign Minister and his Turkish counterpart is intended to promote intercultural dialogue. Ariana Mirza reports on the motives and objectives of the initiative
Modern Turkey is inconceivable without its founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The republic he established paved the way for Turkey to join the system of Western alliances. A portrait by Klaus Kreiser
AVAAZ.org is an international civic organisation that promotes political action on issues such as human rights, and religious conflicts. The NGO's "Stop the Clash" video has had nearly 1.5 million views. Click here...
