[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
English
A Different Voice Analyzing the Anti-Capitalist Muslims group, Nicole Pope claims that, "armed with their firm belief in a more equal society, the committed members of the group intend to continue to surprise, produce new ideas, and provide a new voice to the chorus of people calling for a more tolerant and diverse Turkey."
Anti-Capitalist Muslim Leader Says Gezi Youth Want New Approach to Islam Barçın Yinanç interviews Ihsan Eliacik, the thought leader of the Anti-Capitalist Muslims group.
Turkey Adds Fuel to Fight of Iraqi Kurds for Independence Semih Idiz writes about the "energy ties" that are growing between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan, despite the former's "age-old fear of Kurdish independence in contiguous regions near its border."
Turkey’s Kurdish Question Extends to Syria Kadri Gürsel analyzes the implications of Ankara's "harsh" reaction to the PYD’s control of Rasulayn (Ras al-Ain), and contrasts this reaction to the indifference the government displayed when the town was under Syrian al-Qaeda.
Turkey Between Interest Rates And Conspiracy Theories Sami Nader writes about the shift in the Arab perception of the "Turkish model," following Erdoğan 's reaction to the Taksim Square protests, the collapse of the Turkish financial market, and the country’s foreign policy in the region.
Syrian Kurds and Turkey's Worries Doğu Ergil analyzes the three results of "the Turkish government's reversal of attitude in supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and taking an active stance in organizing, supporting, and arming Syrian rebels."
Why Gül’s Office Has Become a “Wailing Wall” for AKP Dissidents Serkan Demirtaş analyzes the new relationship between President Gül and PM Erdoğan: "Contrary to their tradition in not publicizing their disagreements, these two men no longer hesitate to criticize each other in public and have used the media to weaken the other on a number of critical issues."
Turkish Government Hunkers Down as World Spotlight Fades Alexander Christie-Miller writes that the recent police intervention at a Gezi Park wedding reminds us that "authorities continue to stamp down on demonstrations amid signs that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is swerving further towards the kind of authoritarianism that originally incited them."
Ankara Must Make Strategic Choice In Northern Syria Fikret Bila explores the Turkish government's policy options in light of the developments in Syria.
Turkey’s Syria Policy in Shambles Over Support for Jihadists Semih Idiz writes that Turkey's "overreaching and one-dimensional Syria policy" is facing challenges after the victory of Syrian Kurds against Islamist fighters in Ras al-Ain on July 19.
Alevi Opening? İhsan Yılmaz predicts that the potential defreeze of the AKP's "Alevi opening" policy "will strike a delicate balance so that the Diyanet lobby and his National Outlook (Milli Görüş) voters are not displeased and Alevis are also satisfied," noting that instead of being satisfied, Alevis will be even more upset as a result.
Insight Turkey, Spring 2013, Volume 15, No 3 The current issue of Insight Turkey, a journal published by AKP's US-based think-thank SETA, includes pieces commenting on the "civil unrest"—that is, the Gezi uprising. Notable pieces include those by Nilufer Göle, Hatem Ete, and Tayfun Atay.
The Sorry State of Turkish Media Daron Acemoğlu and James Robinson comment on "The Sorry State of Turkish Media."
Turkey’s Northern Syria Dilemma Sami Kohen explores Ankara's fears over potential Kurdish autonomy in Syria.
The Feeling of Suffocation Claiming that freedom of the press and freedom of speech are the ultimate indicators of democracy, Bülent Keneş argues that "the ruling party has been quickly abandoning its distinctive feature of supporting universal democratic values and freedoms and moving in the reverse direction."
The Decisive Minority: The Role of Syria’s Kurds in the Anti-Assad Revolution A report prepared by Omar Hassino and İlhan Tanır in March 2012 sheds light on the recent developments in Syria.
Erdoğan’s New Chief Adviser Is No Joke Telekinesis jokes aside, Yasemin Çongar asks if Erdoğan's appointing of Yiğit Bulut as his chief advisor is an "irrational choice."
Turkey Should Take Lessons From Iraqi Kurdistan Experience Eyüp Can claims it is hard to understand why "Turkey has reverted to the past policies of fear" regarding Syria, given the happy ending to its relationship with Iraqi Kurdistan.
Turkey Needs to Resolve Alevi Issue to Stop Meddling from Outside, Sociologist Says Tuğba Kaplan interviews sociologist Necdet Subaşı, "the man who served as the coordinator of the first Alevi initiative."
The Rise and Fall of Turkey's Neighborhood Policy Amanda Paul explores the trajectory of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's "zero problems with neighbors" policy in the region.
Gezi Cleansing in Turkish Media Kadri Gürsel says that journalists are "victims of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s hard-line reactions to the Gezi Park resistance."
The Gül Alternative to Erdoğan Commenting on the contrasting positions that the President and the PM took on the Gezi protests, Kadri Gürsel claims that "while time is working against Erdoğan in every aspect, Gül’s alternative value is rising."
No Longer “Sick Man,” Turkey Is Lonely, Tired Cengiz Çandar writes that "the rise of Turkey as a regional power in the Middle East gave Turkey a major place in the international arena and endowed it with such influence that the Turks forgot, in a way, to be concerned about the loss of Europe."
Poll: Majority of Turks Don't Approve of Gov't Stance on Gezi Protests "A poll conducted by the Konsensus Research and Consultancy Company has revealed that 61.4 percent of the Turkish public do not approve of the government's stance on the Gezi protests."
“At Least 27 Authors, Poets, Translators, Publishers in Prison” A recent report by the Turkish Publishers Association finds that “at least 27 authors, poets, translators, publishers are imprisoned in Turkey.”
A Public for Democracy: Overcoming Mediated Segregation in Turkey Britta Ohm argues that Gezi “is not as much about solidarity as it is about the albeit tentative discovery of common-ness through the very defence of the commons.”
The Hanging-by-a-Thread Gardens Andrew Finkel writes about the destruction of Istanbul’s Yedikule Gardens, “historical vegetable gardens that in medieval times fed the city and today are being tended by sixty farmers who lease the land from the municipality.”
LGBT Movement and Global Protests - 2. Turkey English translation of an Italian blog post discussing the role of the LGBT movement in the Gezi uprising: “For the rainbow movement it has been the time to strengthen the political and social ties created through decades of full and generous activism.”
Punishing Journalists, Subverting Press Freedom Andrew Rosenthal condemns the firing of Yavuz Baydar from his job at the Turkish daily Sabah after his op-ed commenting on the state of press freedom in Turkey was published in New York Times.
Penn, Sarandon and Intellectuals Condemn Gezi Crackdown in Letter to Turkish PM “A group of internationally renowned artists and scholars condemned the Turkish authorities’ heavy-handed crackdown on the Gezi Park protests in a full-page letter published July 24 in the British broadsheet The Times, addressed to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”
ECHR Condemns “Disproportionate Violence and Unnecessary and Excessive Tear Gas” in Turkey “In a unanimous decision issued today, the European Court of Human Rights again ruled against Turkey in a case regarding the use of abusive force against peaceful protestors.”
Bantmag no 21, July-August 2013 The current issue of the arts and culture journal Bantmag focuses on the Gezi uprising.
Rose Garden with the Epilogue This piece of video-art by Extramücadele (Extrastruggle) is a commentary on the Gezi uprising, inspired by Omar Khayyam’s poetry.
Turkish
Kürt stratejisi Fehim Taştekin argues that Turkish foreign policy was derailed when the PYD captured southern Syrian towns near the Turkish border from al-Qaeda-linked Islamist groups.
Kürtler birleşirken... Ruşen Çakır contends that “Rojava” (southern Syria in Kurdish) is “the Palestine of Kurds.” According to him, Rojava should not be perceived as a threat but rather an opportunity for Turkey to engage in “intense and systematic collaboration” with the Kurds in the region.
Kürtler için yeni dönem—”Devlet” için Rojava dersi Cengiz Çandar introduces “the Rojava lesson” to the Turkish state, underlining that a new period has begun in the region for Kurdish people.
Rojava'da yeni sayfa? Salih Müslim'in ardından... Cengiz Çandar expresses his satisfaction after the Foreign Ministry invited PYD leader Salih Müslim to Turkey and held a meeting with him.
Kürt sorununda yeni sayfalar Proclaiming that the Kurds have started a new chapter in Rojava, Ali Bayramoğlu asserts that the twenty-first century will be that of both the Muslims and of the Kurds.
Dış Kürtlere ‘kardeşlik’ ihracatı Mücahit Bilici asks why we could not be “one nation, two-three states” with Rojava while we are “one nation, two states” with Azerbaijan.
Kürdistan Kürtlerindir Oya Baydar proclaims “Kurdistan belongs to Kurds,” reminding nationalists, who are seized with Kurdish phobia once more, of their well-known slogan: “Turkey belongs to Turks.”
Suriye Kürdistan'ı diyebilmek Mete Çubukçu points out the significance of calling southern Syria “Syrian Kurdistan,” since calling northern Iraq “Iraqi Kurdistan” took many years for Ankara.
Kararlılık başka, kof kabadayılık başka… Yalçın Akdoğan, Erdoğan’s chief advisor, responds to chauvinists and ultra-nationalists, saying “determination is one thing, rotten bluster another.”
Çözüm süreci Suriye'den değil demokratikleşmeden geçer Murat Aksoy claims that the peace process entails not an intervention in Syria, but the democratization of Turkey.
‘Yeni Türkiye’ Kürt meselesini çözerken… Erkan Şen, the reporter of the Wise People Commission for Black Sea (Karadeniz) Region, claims that the “New Turkey is solving its Kurdish question.”
Akil İnsanlar Heyeti Grup Raporları: Karadeniz, Akdeniz, Güneydoğu Anadolu, Doğu Anadolu This includes four Wise People Commission’s regional reports.
Yine Realite Sorunu... Ergin Yıldızoğlu proclaims that the AKP is facing a new reality, which enforces a change in its Egypt and Syria policies.
Romantik mi, ideolojik mi? İhsan Dağı warns the AKP that neither a romantic nor an ideological orientation is good for society.
İttihad ve Terraki; Vazife ve Mesuliyet Şükrü Hanioğlu analyzes Turkey’s modern history through concepts such as “union,” “progress,” “duty,” and “accountability.”
"Gezi" çifti anlattı: "Nazım'ın şiiri gibiyiz" Nuray Çokol and Ozgur Kaya, who fell in love behind the barricades of the Gezi uprising, spoke to a newspaper after their wedding ceremony in the Gezi Park.
Türkiye'deki tüm kavgalar kardeş kavgasıdır Murat Menteş, a columnist of the pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak, compares the Gezi protesters with the Welfare Party (RP) members. Here is the second part of the interview. After the interview, Menteş was forced to leave his column.
geziparkarsiv A visual archive of the Gezi Park protests.
Demokrasi için laiklik şart mı? Şule Albayrak asks whether secularism is still a prerequisite for democracy.
Başkaldırı romantizmi Fahrettin Altun distinguishes between “the uprising” and “the romanticism of uprising,” claiming that “uprising is an urge and a demand for power.”
Her yer Taksim, her yer demokrasi Ahmet İnsel indicates that the Gezi uprising is a new page that has to be filled with a new struggle: “Everywhere is Taksim, democracy everywhere.”
Aleviler bunu hak etmiyor Turan Alkan criticizes Prime Minister Erdoğan, who last week declared that “I am a perfect Alevi if Alevism means loving Caliph Ali.” According to Alkan, “Alevis do not deserve this.”
Mantıklı Alevilik, kanıta dayalı Kürtlük, bilimsel eşcinsellik Olcay Çelik explores the logic and biopolitics of Erdoğan’s discourse on Alevism.
Hanefi Avcı 'meselesi'nin 'derin' anlamı Ali Bayramoğlu analyzes the verdict on Hanefi Avcı, the former police intelligence chief who has been sentenced to prison for “being an illegal organization member.”
Bakın Rafa Kaldırın Demedim, Unutun Dedim! Cemal Saydam, an oceanographer, warns Prime Minister Erdoğan that İstanbul will smell like a rotten egg if his dream, Canal Istanbul, is realized.
Harira da mı içmeyek? İsmail Kılıçarslan criticizes the “new wealthy conservatives,” reminding them of Islam and its concept of social justice.
Published on Jadaliyya
Taksim Is/Is Not Tahrir: Comparative Frameworks in Managing Protest
Misir’in Turk Modeli Takintisi
New Texts Out Now: Erdağ Göknar, “Orhan Pamuk, Secularism and Blasphemy: The Politics of the Turkish Novel”
Neither Heroes, Nor Villains: A Conversation with Talal Asad on Egypt After Morsi
We Are Taksim Solidarity, We Are Here