Erdogan’s calamitous authoritarianism
The EU must be prepared take a stand against Erdogan, with or without the US. Let’s hope, though, that Joe Biden will be the next... Read More
Turkey
It’s time to tame Erdogan
During his nearly 20 years in power, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has violated human rights in his own country of Turkey and destabilized and exploited others... Read More
A portrait of a ruthless dictator
Erdogan, to be sure, has shown the capacity and the will to do whatever it takes, regardless of how immoral it might be, to realize... Read More
The butcher of Ankara’s visit to the house of lies
To be sure, the Turkish butcher Erdogan and the notorious liar Trump found their match, and they have no shame and no remorse about the... Read More
Trump’s disgraceful letter to Erdogan
“I will call you later.” This is how Trump ends the letter. Call Erdogan for what, just to tell him ‘Don’t worry, I still believe... Read More
An act of betrayal and infamy
It is no secret that Trump’s decision was also largely motivated by his financial interest in Turkey, which goes back many years to 2012, with... Read More
Sacrificing greatness for personal ambition
In your wake, Mr. Erdogan, you leave a shattered Turkish people, yearning to be free, free to think and believe, free to assemble, free to... Read More
The EU and Turkey – long past the crossroads
It is high time policy makers in Berlin, Paris and Brussels start thinking about the partnership deal they would like to sign with Turkey. Erdogan’s... Read More
Gülen and Erdogan’s Islamic rivalry and its consequences
The rivalry between Erdogan and Gülen suggests that despite Erdogan’s efforts to decimate the Hizmet movement, he will end up on the losing side. The... Read More
Erdogan’s hooligans came knocking on NYU’s doors
It is about time that the US and the EU demand that Erdogan ceases his purges against his own people, end his blatant support of... Read More
Erdogan and the EU are on a collision course in the Balkans
The Balkans now are Erdogan’s trump card against Europe, especially after he was barred by EU countries from expanding his Islamic agenda and particularly because... Read More
Erdogan’s reelection and its dire consequences
Erdogan betrayed his own people before the election, and now he has been granted an even freer hand to vigorously pursue any domestic and foreign... Read More
Can Europe save Turkey from sliding into authoritarianism?
The answer is no. It is not only within Europe that defects in European liberal democracy are aiding the rise of rightwing populism.
Erdogan’s “Trojan Horse” In Macedonia
To be sure, Erdogan’s “peaceful onslaught” on Macedonia has one and one purpose only: to dominate the country under the guise of a long history... Read More
Serbia, Turkey, and Russia – alarm bells for Europe
The European Union should warn Serbia that it must weigh its options carefully and undertake the necessary socio-political and economic reforms if it wants to... Read More
Albania must choose between the EU and Turkey
The EU must make it clear that since full adherence to its charter, especially regarding human rights, freedom, and a democratic form of government, are... Read More
Europe and Turkey – the end of illusion
Erdogan’s ambition to reconstitute elements of the Ottoman era should have a chilling effect on any country with which Erdogan seeks active bilateral relations. There... Read More
“Army of Islam” – Erdogan’s plot against Israel
How many more sinister steps can Erdogan take before the EU and the US recognize that he is a threat against Western strategic interests? He... Read More
Basking in the shadows of the Ottoman Era
The West must no longer invoke Turkey’s geostrategic importance as an excuse for doing nothing to arrest Erdogan’s adventurism. No punitive action should be ruled... Read More
Time to kick Turkey out of NATO
Turkey under Erdogan is no longer a reliable nor trustworthy partner, and has become a liability rather than a viable and constructive member of the... Read More
The demise of Turkey’s democracy – an open letter to President Erdogan
I know that you want to preside over the hundredth anniversary of the new republic of Turkey in 2023. But how do you want to... Read More
The Kurds’ treatment in Turkey is indefensible
The below article is a response to a public letter written by Ibrahim Kurtulus, criticizing my previous article about the plight of the Kurds in... Read More
Gandhi Kemal’s march for justice
Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s March for Justice is not a first in Turkish political history, but the broad support it received from all sectors of society –... Read More
The Kurds under Erdogan’s tyrannical governance
Erdogan will not succeed in killing every PKK fighter—not only because of the nature of guerilla warfare, but primarily because of the Kurds’ determination to... Read More
Turkey’s united front against Kurds and democracy
The political success of the Kurds – the colonized – has intimidated not just the authoritarian AKP and ultranationalist MHP but also the nationalist, secularist,... Read More
Contending with authoritarian Turkey – a measured realist perspective
This obsession with personalities can fuel the very passions and tensions that such individuals feed on, and obscure the underlying factors that explain their rise... Read More
Erdogan’s war on women
Kurdish women in one of the strongest and most radical women’s movements in the world are taking a battering from the Turkish state with impunity... Read More
Is it over for Turkish democracy? Implications for regional peace
As the Erdogan government presses for a more authoritarian regime and curtails civil freedoms at home, Turkish foreign policy takes an increasingly hawkish direction. Turkey’s democracy... Read More
Turkey and the PKK – mutual violence is not the answer
It is time for Erdogan to accept the reality that the solution to the Kurdish problem rests solely on peace negotiations. Anything short of that... Read More
Turkey’s elected dictator
Whereas Erdogan viewed the failed coup as a God-sent opportunity to wipe out whoever is perceived to be his enemy, the US and the EU... Read More
Is Turkey’s failed coup an opportunity to reinvigorate peace talks?
The post-coup political environment could provide a ripe moment to reinstate the peace talks between Ankara and the Kurdish movement.
Goodbye Mr. Zero Problems – the end of the Davutoglu era in Turkish foreign policy
The Davutoglu-era will be remembered as a missed opportunity in Turkish foreign policy. Expectations exceeded the political capacity of an emerging power to the point... Read More
How Turkey became a de facto dictatorship
The Turkish people should once again take to the streets but this time around they should remain persistent until Erdogan relents or resigns. Otherwise, Turkey... Read More
Prospects for a future Kurdistan
A future independent Kurdish state faces many political, economic, and administrative challenges, but its success could be a game-changer in the Middle East.
Turkey’s Balkan politics
The accession of Western Balkan countries to the European Union will be among the principal preoccupations of Turkish foreign policy in the upcoming years.
Can Cairo and Ankara turn a new leaf?
Egyptian-Turkish relations have been soured for some time. While there are no signs of rapprochement on either side, the cycle of dispute should end amid... Read More
Turkey’s Kurdish peace process – part 3
The DDR roadmap that is expected to take shape by October will be the result of a tough negotiation process that will need to address the... Read More
Turkey’s Kurdish peace process – framework law – part 2
The framework law officially bestows the Turkish government with the responsibility of introducing necessary reforms that address challenges in the social, political, psychological and educational... Read More
Turkey’s Kurdish peace process: dead end – part 1
Turkey is gearing up for Presidential elections in August, and the Kurdish vote might determine the next president of Turkey.
Local elections in Turkey – on the verge of polarization and cohesion
In Turkey, large scale citizen mobilization in defense of votes in the recent local elections shows the government’s loss of credibility and trust in the... Read More
Discovering the commons in Turkey – conflict as a means of transcending societal divides
The Gezi events showed that new social movements have a significant potential to act as a forum for dialogue and unite different segments of the... Read More
Discovering the commons in Turkey – new media, social movements and social cohesion
The Resistance has been a turning point in enabling society to develop a new understanding of itself: as a society that is open to all.... Read More
What do the local election results whisper about the future of Turkish democracy?
Local election results confirmed that Turkey is going through a belated, yet organic democratic transition. In absence of Turkish military’s looming shadow, the liberals and... Read More
Turkey on the road to change
With internal crises mounting, Turkey’s ruling party appears to have no choice but to negotiate with its opponents or risk eventual defeat.
Turkey’s rapprochement with Iraqi Kurdistan – an obstacle to the Kurdish peace process?
The decision by Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to pursue rapprochement with the president of Iraqi Kurdistan could prove a profound obstacle to the Kurdish... Read More
Taksim revisited
The protests constitute an alarm call for both government and opposition. They should bring home to the AKP the realization that Turkish democracy, all its... Read More
Taksim – a protest like no other
The messages conveyed by the popularity of the AKP and the vibrancy of the ongoing protests are unambiguous: the contradictions of Turkish society call, not... Read More
Between agitation and victimization – is Erdogan still a winner after Gezi park?
Erdogan’s lack of anger management might not only cost him the presidency but also damage Turkey’s growth projections in an increasingly volatile region. His last... Read More
Politics and the city – the battle over Istanbul’s Gezi park
After a week of protests and police brutality, a group representing the Gezi Park Solidarity met with government officials in Ankara and handed in a... Read More
Turkey’s future in Europe
With a relative thaw in relations between Ankara and Paris on EU accession, prospects look better for Turkey’s EU membership, though significant challenges remain.
Serb municipalities in Kosovo and Kurdish reform in Turkey
The ethnic-oriented Dayton constitution and Sejdic-Finci imbroglio is a great example of how the ethnicization of constitutions further divides a post-conflict multi-ethnic society. Turkey and... Read More
Turkey and the Kurdish conflict – domestic agenda meets regional concerns
Though a possible peace deal with the PKK has a lot to offer to Turkey, the process is still susceptible to spoilers. Should the rumoured PKK... Read More
Turkish-Serbian relations – a rising strategic axis in the Western Balkans
The strategic relations between Turkey and Serbia is an important case of how a century of negative peace could transform via economic cooperation and development.
The former Yugoslavia’s language conundrum
Whilst nationalism continues to rear its head in the former Yugoslavia, so language will continue to act as a divisive, as opposed to unifying, force.
Turkey – a welcome return to the Balkans?
Though Turkey - which is seeking to re-build its once flourishing Ottoman-era ties with most Balkan states - is increasingly portrayed as a reliable business partner, rather then an aggressive and neo-imperialist player, further steps are required to ease anxiety towards its policies.
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