Posted on Sat, January 5, 2013 at 19:08 pm CET
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Islamic Supremacy Alive and Well in Ankara

Supersessionism refers to the belief that Christians have superseded Jews in a new covenant with God. Islam, too, sees itself as superseding all previous divine revelation but, unlike Christianity, Islam freely erases history itself… Continue reading

Topics: Armenian Genocide • Bulgaria • Christianity • Cyprus • Global Islam • Greece • History • Jewish Life • Neo-Ottomanism • Religion • Turkey 
Posted on Mon, December 31, 2012 at 00:57 am CET
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The End of Taraf: The Liberals Have Outlived their Usefulness for the AKP

The mood among the few remaining, scattered liberal voices in the Turkish media landscape is gloomy as critical expression in Turkey is being systematically narrowed… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Islamism • Neo-Ottomanism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, November 27, 2012 at 00:01 am CET
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Contemporary Kemalist Intellectuals: Europeanizers Against Europe?

During the last decades, Kemalism, the modernization ideology of the Republic of Turkey, has been vehemently criticized… Continue reading

Topics: Culture • Democracy • History • Religion • Turkey 
Posted on Mon, November 19, 2012 at 00:57 am CET
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Erdogan’s Way – Confrontation at Home and Abroad – May be Backfiring

Turkey’s governing Justice and Development Party has been well served by the confrontational style of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan… Continue reading

Topics: Diplomacy • Kurdish People • Politics • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, March 27, 2012 at 22:21 pm CEST
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No Escape from Authoritarianism? Turkey Suffers from the Lack of a Constituency for Liberal Change

Turkey’s old habits of state authoritarianism persist under the rule of the AKP… Continue reading

Topics: Culture • Democracy • Kurdish People • Turkey 
Posted on Thu, December 22, 2011 at 19:55 pm CET
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Has Erdogan Reached His “Democratic Limits”?

Internal and external dynamics no longer compel Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to transcend his democratic limits… Continue reading

Topics: Islamism • Kurdish People • Politics • Sunni Islam • Turkey • Turkish Kurdistan 
Posted on Sun, November 13, 2011 at 20:21 pm CET
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Will Turkey Get a New Constitution that is a Societal Compact, and not a Dictate of the State?

The new constitution of Turkey needs to be societal compact that reflects the pluralism of society… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Politics • Turkey 
Posted on Sat, June 18, 2011 at 00:27 am CEST
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A Divisive Campaign in a Polarized Turkey

The June 12 general election was historic as it was the first general election in Turkey over which the shadow of the military… Continue reading

Topics: Islamism • Kurdish People • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, June 14, 2011 at 00:48 am CEST
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Turkish Military High Command, Armed Forces Takes A Step Toward Islamism

Compare the election results from voters in the Turkish army general staff to that of the overall population… Continue reading

Topics: Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Fri, April 22, 2011 at 21:03 pm CEST
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The Nominations of Candidates for the June General Election: A Choice Between Status Quo and Renewal

The ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) choice of candidates to the general election in June reflect a desire to entrench the power base… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Kurdish People • Turkey 
Posted on Thu, April 14, 2011 at 21:32 pm CEST
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Will Turkey’s Next Constitution be a Societal Covenant Imbued with Respect for Differences?

Agreeing upon the rules for how they are going to live together, with mutual respect for differences, is the fundamental challenge that faces… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Human Rights • Islamism • Kurdish People • PKK • Sunni Islam • Turkey 
Posted on Wed, April 6, 2011 at 00:53 am CEST
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Turkey’s Opposition Turns Social Democratic: Will the Turks Follow?

While the Turkish Justice and Development Party’s (AKP’s) record on democracy and foreign policy is less than perfectly in… Continue reading

Topics: Europe • Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Fri, March 25, 2011 at 22:06 pm CET
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Arab revolts and Turkey’s new ‘old Kemalists’

The Arab revolts of 2011 awakened interest in the Turkish model, exemplifying an Islamist-rooted party building a liberal democracy… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Armenia • Democracy • Islamism • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Sat, February 19, 2011 at 17:20 pm CET
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WikiLeaks: Kurdish Leader Discusses 2009 Turkish Local Elections

In an April 22 roundtable at Chatham House on Turkey’s recent elections, Kurdish political leader Ahmet Türk gave prepared remarks and took… Continue reading

Topics: Britain • Human Rights • Kurdish People • Turkey • United States of America • WikiLeaks 
Posted on Thu, February 10, 2011 at 17:44 pm CET
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Turkey and the Middle Eastern Revolts: Democracy or Islamism?

Turkey’s leaders have embraced the popular revolts in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Abdullah Gül publicly urging Egyptian… Continue reading

Topics: Egyptian Revolution • Global Islam • Islamic Fundamentalism • Islamism • Jasmine Revolution • Neo-Ottomanism • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, February 1, 2011 at 02:13 am CET
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AKP Sees to Control Society – but can it?

The liberals who were instrumental in legitimating the ascension of the Justice and development party (AKP) are now dramatically revoking their support for the Islamic conservatives… Continue reading

Topics: Armenia • Human Rights • Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Wed, November 24, 2010 at 17:03 pm CET
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Changing Of The Guard: Judicial Reforms Reinforce Concerns About the AKP’s Increasing Authoritarianism

The restructuring of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which is responsible for appointments and disciplinary procedures in the Turkish judicial system, was one of the key reforms in the package of constitutional amendments which were approved in a referendum… Continue reading

Topics: Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Thu, May 20, 2010 at 01:26 am CEST
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Bring Back the Caliphate

The Islamists’ embrace of Osman, a descendant of the westernized Ottoman sultans, provides a periscope into the Islamist mind: Islamism is not about religion or reality. Rather it is a myth and a subversion of reality intended to promote Islamism… Continue reading

Topics: Eurabia • Global Islam • Islamism • Ottoman Empire • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, May 18, 2010 at 15:18 pm CEST
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Turkey’s New Political Balance: Old AKP and New Kemalism

Turkey’s protracted political battle between the governing Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and its opponents reached a crescendo this month with the Turkish Parliament’s vote on proposed constitutional amendments… Continue reading

Topics: Eurabia • Global Islam • Islamism • Turkey