Sweden’s steps to gain Erdogan’s approval appear not to have “cut the ice” thus far. Ankara has accused Sweden yet again of failing to fulfill its commitments under a trilateral memorandum signed in June together with Finland, whereby Turkey would ratify the Nordic countries’ memberships into NATO if they addressed …
Read More »Turkey, Israel agree to strengthen defense ties
Israeli defense chief stressed stability in the Eastern Mediterranean during his landmark visit to Ankara amid lingering tensions between Turkey and Greece. Turkey and Israel agreed to enhance “formal defense ties” during Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Turkey visit, which he described as “historic.” Gantz met with Turkish President Recep …
Read More »Turkey: A NATO Ally?
What do members, future members, dialogue partners and future dialogue partners of this exotic blend of nations [the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, SCO] have in common? With their growing democratic deficits and authoritarian-to-dictatorship regimes, they are at cold war with the world’s democratic bloc of nations. “I told Putin… Let us …
Read More »Leading the week
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally launched his AKP campaign with a big bash in Ankara today. The event was called “Turkey’s Century,” and Erdogan offered a sneak preview on Twitter by sharing a video that will only fuel further speculation that he wants to anoint his younger son-in-law, Selcuk Bayraktar, …
Read More »Russian Experts On Central Asia Warn: Turkey Has Far-Reaching Plans For The Post-Soviet Space, Including Parts Of Russia
Turkey has enjoyed friendly treatment in the Russian press that has praised Turkey for refusing to knuckle under to the Americans and join the sanctions against Russia. It is the tough interlocutor that looks after its interests as opposed to the supine Europeans, who are shooting themselves in the foot …
Read More »The Putin Pawns in the NATO Alliance? How the West Emboldens Erdoğan’s Aggression
Turkey’s Islamist President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been militarily threatening a fellow NATO ally, Greece, using increasingly threatening language. He also proudly announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised him to make Turkey an international natural gas hub, therefore selling his gas via Turkey, avoiding Western sanctions. What does …
Read More »Why Putin Has Proposed An Energy Hub In Turkey – OpEd
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan create a natural gas hub in Thrace, the European part of Turkey. As expected, this proposal made headlines in the Turkish media, but the content has not yet been detailed. It may have been designed as a hub …
Read More »The Costs of a Presidential System: The Impact of Hyper-centralization on Turkey’s Educational and Cultural Affairs
Key takeaways Turkey’s transition to a hyper-centralized presidential system has given rise to a growing malaise in the educational and cultural fields, manifested through purges, witch hunts, and the erosion of university autonomy and resulting in an exodus of the creative classes and cultural institutions. Academic and cultural impoverishment not …
Read More »Hayaller doğal gaz dağıtım merkezi olma, hayatlar borç erteleme talebi
Cumhurbaşkanı Recep Tayyip Erdoğan geçtiğimiz hafta Asya’da İşbirliği ve Güven Artırıcı Önlemler Konferansı’nın (CICA) 6’ıncı zirvesi dolayısıyla Kazakistan’ın başkenti Astana’ya gitti. Burada Erdoğan’ın Rusya Devlet Başkanı Vladimir Putin ile yaptığı bir buçuk saatlik görüşme ve Putin’den gelen açıklamalar hem ulusal hem de uluslararası medyada üst sırada yer aldı. Putin, yaptığı …
Read More »AK Parti’ye seçimi ‘dış güçler’ mi kazandıracak?
DEVA Partisi Lideri Ali Babacan Erzurum mitingini Bartın’daki maden faciası nedeniyle iptal etse de kendisine eşlik eden gazetecilere röportaj vermiş. Putin’in Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’a özel olarak teşekkür etmesi ve Türkiye’yi enerji üssü yapma teklifi de konuşulmuş belli ki ama biraz farklı bir açıdan konuşulmuş. Rusya’nın ABD’deki seçimlere müdahale ettiğine ilişkin iddialar …
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