President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the favorite to win Turkey’s hotly contested runoff election that will have implications for its relationship with Washington. Turkish voters will return to the polls later this month in a heated runoff election that will be watched closely by the United States. The Biden administration …
Read More »Spring Remains on Hold for Turkey’s Opposition
The ‘springtime’ predicted by the opposition did not arrive in Turkey’s May 14 elections – and in the May 28 presidential run-off, the odds are stacked against them. “Spring will come again” was the motto of the opposition’s presidential candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. But Turkey’s twin elections on May 14 for …
Read More »Erdogan thanks ‘dear friend’ Putin as Turkey extends Russia-Ukraine grain deal
The extension came as Erdogan prepares to face his rival in the presidential runoff election on May 28. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that the Black Sea deal that allows Ukraine, the world’s top grain supplier, to export to world markets would continue. The extension grants Turkish strongman …
Read More »Turkey Heads Into a Critical Election Runoff
A return to a parliamentary democracy system—the opposition’s most important electoral promise—is highly unlikely if Erdogan remains in power. This would be bad news for Turkey’s Western allies. After a dynamic and unfair campaign, the interim results of Turkey’s dual election send the two main presidential contenders to a second …
Read More »Turkish intelligence operation eliminates senior PKK/YPG terrorist
A Turkish intelligence operation in northern Syria resulted in the elimination of a high-ranking PKK/YPG terrorist, security sources said on Saturday. Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) “neutralized” Haydar Demirel, code-named Bager Türk and the terror group’s so-called general manager of the Hol province in northern Syria, according to security sources …
Read More »China’s Response to Türkiye’s Volatile Authoritarianism
China has become a global power, but there is too little debate about how this has happened and what it means. Many argue that China exports its developmental model and imposes it on other countries. But Chinese players also extend their influence by working through local actors and institutions while …
Read More »Turkey’s Policies Are Unlikely To Change Even If Erdogan Goes – Analysis
The groups in the electoral fray are all a hodge-podge of ideologies. The only issue is whether Erdogan should stay or go. Turkiye held its Presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously on May 14. According to the Anadolu News Agency, at 6.30 am on Monday, sitting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was …
Read More »Turkey: Election Could Be Headed For Runoff
Turkey appeared headed for a runoff election after neither President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu received a majority of the vote on Sunday. However, Erdogan, 69, who has been in power for 20 years and is the country’s longest-serving leader, performed better than had been expected. With more …
Read More »U.S. Is Interfering In Türkiye’s Elections, Says Interior Minister
The U.S. is meddling in Türkiye’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, Ankara’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu claimed on Friday. Speaking to CNN Turk, Soylu weighed in on the decision by presidential candidate Muharrem Ince, who leads the opposition Homeland Party, to drop out of the race on Thursday ahead of …
Read More »Navigating complex maritime security challenges in the Black and Mediterranean seas: Insights from the updated EUMSS
In March, the European Union announced an update to its 2014 Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS), identifying both new and persisting threats to European security at sea. Undoubtedly, Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine helped influence the updated EUMSS approach to the Black and Mediterranean seas, with implicit and explicit …
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