Posted on Sun, May 22, 2011 at 01:14 am CEST
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Is the AKP that “Vanquished” the Military Caught in the Trap of Militarism?

There is a grim irony to the fact that while the AKP’s 2007 victory represented a defeat for the military, victory four years later requires… Continue reading

Topics: Kurdish People • Neo-Ottomanism • PKK • Turkey 
Posted on Thu, May 19, 2011 at 20:00 pm CEST
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IHH Leader Yildirim: “We Will Not Hesitate to Sacrifice Shaheeds to Achieve the Flotilla’s Objective”

IHH, which plays a central role in organizing the upcoming flotilla to the Gaza Strip, joined Turkish Islamist organizations in… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Americanism • Anti-Israelism • Anti-Westernism • Gaza Flotillas and Convoys • Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center • Islamism • Jihadism • War on Terrorism 
Posted on Wed, May 18, 2011 at 22:00 pm CEST
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Turkey’s Threshold

Turkey faces what could be historic elections on June 12. Opinion polls suggest the ruling Justice and Development Party… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Islamism • Kurdish People • Turkey 
Posted on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 20:56 pm CEST
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Members of Congress Urge Turkey to Prevent 2nd Gaza Flotilla

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of members of Congress spearheaded by Reps. Steve Israel (D — NY) and Tom Cole (R — OK) has written a letter to Turkish… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Israelism • Gaza Flotillas and Convoys • Turkey • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Thu, May 12, 2011 at 14:18 pm CEST
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The Roots of U.S. Policy Insanity in the Middle East and the Cure

Why is U.S. and European policy toward the Middle East so off-base, and why do policymakers believe the strange things they think and… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Americanism • Anti-Israelism • Anti-Westernism • Counter-terrorism • Islamic Terrorism • Islamism • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Tue, May 10, 2011 at 20:34 pm CEST
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Israeli Natural Gas: A Game Changer

Energy has always been at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict, creating alliances and influencing the policies of allies and adversaries alike… Continue reading

Topics: Cyprus • Egypt • Energy • Greece • Israel 
Posted on Sat, May 7, 2011 at 11:41 am CEST
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Will the Arab Uprisings Result in the Emergence of a Sunni Bloc Dominated by Turkey?

Against the background of the fall of the autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, the massive demonstrations in Yemen, Syria and Bahrain… Continue reading

Topics: Arab Spring • Bahrain • Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Iranian Protests • Islamism • Jasmine Revolution • Libya War • Neo-Ottomanism • Sunni Islam • Syrian Revolution • Turkey • Yemen 
Posted on Fri, May 6, 2011 at 16:46 pm CEST
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The AKP’s Election Manifesto: The Silences That Ring Alarm Bells

In late April 2011, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) announced their manifestos… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Europe • Islamism • Kurdish People • Neo-Ottomanism • Sunni Islam • Turkey 
Posted on Wed, May 4, 2011 at 19:49 pm CEST
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Turkey Should Block Gaza Aid Convoy to Avert New Crisis

Who is to blame for the Mavi Marmara incident, May 31, 2010? The Turkish government immediately… Continue reading

Topics: Gaza Flotillas and Convoys • Islamism • Israel • Leftist-Islamic Alliance • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, May 3, 2011 at 19:56 pm CEST
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South African anti-Israeli Islamic Organizations Organize Gaza-Bound Aid Convoy

An aid convoy to the Gaza Strip is being organized in South Africa by two anti-Israeli Islamic organizations. It is expected to leave at the end of… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Israelism • Gaza Flotillas and Convoys • Global Islam • Hamas • Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center • South Africa 
Posted on Mon, May 2, 2011 at 23:34 pm CEST
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Does Money really drive Turkey’s stance toward Arab Revolts?

A narrative has emerged to explain the varied responses of the Turkish government, led by the Justice and Development Party, or… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Americanism • Arab Spring • Democracy • Egyptian Revolution • Islamism • Libya War • Syrian Revolution • Turkey 
Posted on Mon, April 25, 2011 at 19:44 pm CEST
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Warning: Middle East Analysis Gone Wild…ly Inaccurate

OK. I admit it. It’s hopeless. When prestigious newspapers can’t get the most basic points about the Middle East correct… Continue reading

Topics: Syria • Syrian Revolution • The Middle East • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, April 24, 2011 at 23:55 pm CEST
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The Potential Demise of the CFE Treaty: A Major Concern for Turkey

Moscow’s decision to “suspend” its compliance with the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty since… Continue reading

Topics: NATO • OSCE • Russian Federation • 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 21, 2011 at 00:11 am CEST
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Assad’s Bloody Crackdown Protest Threatens Sectarian War

President Bashar Assad, while abrogating Syria’s detested 48-year old emergency laws Tuesday, April 19, immediately replaced them with… Continue reading

Topics: Alawis • Arab Spring • Democracy • Kurdish People • Syrian Revolution 
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 13, 2011 at 17:15 pm CEST
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Reading Ahmadinejad in Riga

There’s nothing like having to explain a complex subject to people to improve one’s own understanding of the issues… Continue reading

Topics: Arab-Israeli Conflict • Communism • Egypt • Europe • Iran • Islamism • Latvia • Russian Federation • The Middle East • U.S. Middle East Policy 
Posted on Tue, April 12, 2011 at 17:13 pm CEST
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The Fading Masquerade: Ergenekon and the Politics of Justice in Turkey

On the afternoon of March 30, 2011, Zekeriya Öz, the chief prosecutor in the controversial Ergenekon investigation, was abruptly… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Islamism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Tue, April 12, 2011 at 00:48 am CEST
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IHH Leader: “We have only one problem, the virus called Zionism”

IHH leader Bülent Yildirim said the upcoming flotilla to the Gaza Strip might be delayed. He added that in addition to the flotilla… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Israelism • Anti-Zionism • Gaza and Westbank • Gaza Flotillas and Convoys • Global Jihad • Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center • Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Mon, April 11, 2011 at 18:54 pm CEST
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What Country in the World Has the Most Journalists Imprisoned?

What country in the world has the most journalists imprisoned? The answer might surprise you. According to a recent study… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Ergenekon • Human Rights • Neo-Ottomanism • The Media • Turkey 
Posted on Sat, April 9, 2011 at 12:11 pm CEST
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WikiLeaks: Israel – Calm Before the Storm?

Israel is deceptively calm and prosperous. The security situation inside Israel is the best since the outbreak of the Second Intifada… Continue reading

Topics: Iran • Israel • Palestinian Authority • Peace Process • WikiLeaks 
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 Mon, March 28, 2011 at 23:45 pm CEST
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Nuclear and Gas Pipeline Woes Trouble Russian-Turkish Energy Partnership

The nuclear disaster in Japan has further complicated the complex energy relationship between Turkey and Russia… Continue reading

Topics: Russian Federation • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, March 27, 2011 at 14:50 pm CEST
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Turkey: Less Democracy But An Alternative

For several years I’ve been telling you that under its current Islamist regime, Turkey has become less and less of a democratic state… Continue reading

Topics: Democracy • Human Rights • Islamism • Turkey 
Posted on Sun, March 27, 2011 at 13:45 pm CEST
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Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu: “We Need to Hinder the Despotic Ambitions of AKP”

In this exclusive interview for Turkish Policy Quarterly, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu outlines his views and his Party’s position on the pressing foreign policy choices Turkey faces… Continue reading

Topics: Anti-Americanism • Arab Spring • Arab-Israeli Conflict • Cyprus • Islamism • NATO • The Middle East • Turkey