What has Turkey 2015 to learn from Yugoslavia 1989? – Part One
Call it a twist of fate or whatever you like, but the recent political developments in Turkey remind too much of Yugoslavia in 1989. Often... Read More
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
Closed borders, open minds?
Though civil society has played a key role in promoting dialogue between non-state actors in Turkey and Armenia, the border issue makes things very difficult.
A third way for Cyprus?
Cyprus cannot be a nation-state under Greek Cypriot majority rule, or two nation-states in a loose co-federation under the surveillance of NATO forces. But could... 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.
Between recognition and denial – the genocide question and Turkish-Armenian relations
The Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process is now almost completely stalled, with Turkey continuing to vehemently oppose the Armenian-inspired international campaign to secure recognition of the Armenian... Read More
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
Temperance in the Arab Spring – averting catastrophe through great power politics
The world’s most politically volatile region, the Middle East, has been stabilised through the collective common sense of three Great Powers – the United States,... 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
The Cyprus dilemma at a crossroads – a perspective on negotiations
The Turkish Cypriot refusal to accept the EU’s presence at the negotiation table represents a profound challenge to the effectiveness of EU mediation in negotiations over... 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.
