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Turkey-West Relations: The Escalating Crisis of Trust and Path Dependency

11.23.21

Oya Dursun-Özkanca examines the post-2019 developments in Turkey-West relations and argues that there is increasing use of boundary-breaking intra-alliance opposition process, creating a dangerous path dependency.

Turkey’s Hagia Sophia Decision as Foreign Policy Signal

07.14.20

On July 10, 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an order which would allow the disintegration of Hagia Sophia’s museum status and turn it back into a mosque. Pro-government Turkish news outlet Yeni Şafak  headlined the same day: “The West Goes Mad.” (Batı çıldırıyor) [1]  With the signature of the Council of State’s memorandum […]

Citizenship-Stripping as a Political Tool: A Comparative Perspective

04.27.20

Since the attempted coup on 15 July 2016, Turkish state authorities have engaged in what they characterize as a counterterrorism campaign against the political enemy they blame for the attacks: the expatriate cleric and government critic Fethullah Gülen, as well as hundreds of his followers who fled the country. The Turkish government still maintains that […]

“Erdoğan the Good” or “Erdoğan the Bad?” A conversation with Soner Çağaptay on US-Turkey relations following US withdrawal from Syria

10.25.19

Editor-in-Chief Reilly Barry sits down with US-Turkey relations expert Soner Çağaptay to discuss what is important to keep in mind in the bilateral context following major changing events in Syria and renewed US dialogue on the path ahead for the alliance, Turkey’s role in NATO, and the lasting persona of Erdoğan affecting the relationship.

Turkey’s Kidnappings Abroad Defy International Law

11.26.18

BY YASIR GÖKÇE “Our life was turned upside down. In one night, we were declared ‘terrorists,’” said Sevval, a 13-year-old who was among the victims of a massive crackdown on dissidents conducted by Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan. The crackdown continues today and impacts people who identify as critical of the Erdogan regime. Since a failed […]

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster

What’s in a deal anyway: Idlib DMZ violations harm peace process

11.21.18

The Idlib de-militarized zone (DMZ) deal is a powerful tool for advancing peace, but only if Turkey and Russia commit the resources to properly enforce it. The implementation of the Idlib DMZ holds powerful consequences for the ongoing Syrian constitutional committee and the broader peace process.

Election Banners, Kilis - Adam Jones

Reconciling History: Secularism, Faith and Allegiance after Turkey’s June 24th Elections

07.9.18

The decision to support or reject the opposition in its appeals to AKP voters is bound up with its identity as the representative of official secularism, a reputation that has proved difficult to shake. The memory of the divisive 1970s and the terror-filled aftermath of the 1980 coup remains a deeply impactful force conditioning voter behavior. An understanding of these traumatizing years, which left few segments of society untouched, contextualizes the steep odds against which the opposition was forced to contend.

In Turkey, the cult of Ataturk gives way to the cult of Erdogan

04.25.18

In Turkey, Erdogan tries to distance himself from Ataturk’s legacy even as his actions recreate some of the very policies he decries in his predecessor. Is Erdogan in the process of building a cult of personality that could surpass that of the country’s founding father?

A unifying force? Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and an independent Kurdistan

10.12.17

Has the possibility of an independent Kurdistan forced the governments of Turkey, Iran, and Iraq to overlook their intersecting rivalries in the Middle East?

Democracy and Governance

Turkey in the Age of Trump: A Path forward for US-Turkey Relations

10.5.17

BY TYLER RODGERS Shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, a lone ISIS-inspired gunman launched an attack at a popular Istanbul nightclub that killed thirty-nine and injured sixty-five more. The rampage signaled an inauspicious start to 2017 in Turkey and offered evidence that the tumultuous events of the previous year—including an attempted military coup and […]

Iran’s presidential elections: What next for Rouhani?

06.24.17

He may be a political insider, but Hassan Rouhani ran his 2017 presidential campaign as an anti-establishment candidate. More than 40 million Iranians voted, and despite the close election President Rouhani won a second term in May with 57% of the votes. When the election results were announced, thousands of people spilled into the streets dancing, singing, […]

Democracy and Governance
Asylum seekers in Greece

To address the refugee crisis, focus on dignity

06.22.17

Millions of people in the Middle East and elsewhere were forced to flee their homes in recent years. What they need most now is dignity.

Human Rights

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