Thomas Seibert

Thomas Seibert is an Arab Weekly contributor in Istanbul.

Author Articles

Fighters from the extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attend a mock battle in anticipation of an attack by the regime on Idlib province, last August. (AFP)
Russia gives Turkey more time to find a solution for Idlib
September 15, 2018
Uighur men stand in front of a map showing the area claimed by Uighur separatists as “East Turkistan” marked in blue at a resettlement community in central Turkey. (AP)
Anxious not to offend China, Turkey stays mum on treatment of Uighurs
September 15, 2018
Interests at stake. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (R) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (2L) walk in front of a German school in Istanbul, on September 6. (AFP)
War in Syria could help improve ties between Turkey and Germany after years of feuding
September 08, 2018
Odd man out. Russian President Vladimir Putin (L), Iranian President Hassan Rohani (C) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend a news conference in Tehran, on September 7. (AFP)
Russian-Iranian-Turkish alliance fractured at Tehran summit
September 08, 2018
Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan at the Kremlin in Moscow, on August 24. (AP)
Turkey attempts precarious balance as it jockeys for position in Syria
September 01, 2018
Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers scuffle with plainclothes policemen in Istanbul, on August 25. (Reuters)
Violent police crackdown casts shadow on Turkey’s rapprochement with Europe
September 01, 2018
A Turkish truck, carrying cement blocks typically used for blast walls, waits to cross through the Syrian Bab al-Hawa crossing, on August 3. (AFP)
Turkey is banking on summit diplomacy to head off Idlib battle
August 18, 2018
Turkish businessmen stand in front of a currency exchange office in response to the call of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Turks to sell their dollar and euro savings to support the lira, on August 14. (Reuters)
Amid row with US, Turkey’s search for ‘new allies’ has few viable options
August 18, 2018
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Ankara, Turkey August 15, 2018. (Reuters)
Qatar rushes to Turkey’s aid as Erdogan’s crisis with US deepens
August 18, 2018
A man holds a stack of Iranian Rials and US Dollars in the Iranian capital Tehran on August 8, 2018. (AFP)
Iran playing for time as US sanctions start to bite
August 11, 2018
Way out. Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal (C) leaves with his delegation after a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan in Washington, on August 8. (Reuters)
Tensions escalate between Ankara and Washington amid sanctions, war of words
August 11, 2018
US Vice-President Mike Pence speaks at the end of a conference on religious freedom at the State Department in Washington, on July 26. (AP)
Turkish-US ties on the brink as Washington imposes sanctions on Erdogan’s ministers
August 04, 2018
Ailing economy, squandering resources. A man withdraws Iranial rials from an automated teller machine in Tehran. (AFP)
Iran’s economic woes worsen as US sanctions return
August 04, 2018
Dual-heritage. Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil attends a training session in Singapore, on July 25. (Reuters)
Case of player of Turkish origin challenges German integration model
July 28, 2018
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, on July 22. (AP)
Top-level corruption in Iran in spotlight as US pressures regime
July 28, 2018
Germany’s midfielder Mesut Ozil reacts at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between South Korea and Germany, on June 27. (AFP)
World Cup is over but not the row over Turkish-German football star
July 21, 2018
A Turkish soldier stands guard in front of the Aliaga Prison and Courthouse complex in Izmir, on July 18. (Reuters)
Turkey seen as reintroducing state of emergency through ‘back door’
July 21, 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) gives a soccer ball to US President Donald Trump during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16. (AP)
Putin and Trump stress Israel’s security as Syrian fighting moves closer to Golan Heights
July 16, 2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, on July 11. (AFP)
Israel, US offer Russia a ‘grand bargain’ on Syria including Iranian withdrawal
July 14, 2018
Tactical cooperation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Alexander Lavrentiev, special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Syria, during a meeting in Ankara, last May. (Turkish Presidential Press Service)
Erdogan moves closer to Russia, at least for now
July 14, 2018