Turkey

Ministry of Truth? Critics Warn Turkey’s new “Disinformation” Law is a Backdoor to Heavy-handed Censorship and outlawing Dissent

By Arzu Geybullayeva | – Turkish lawmakers approved a bill on October 13 purportedly meant to combat fake news and disinformation, but local civil society organizations describe the bill as an underhanded censorship or disinformation bill which will be used to squash dissent and criticism. Critics of the bill say the 40-article legislation passed by […]

Natural Gas

Has Putin bought Ankara’s Neutrality in Ukraine War with a Pledge to Make Turkiye a Gas Hub for Europe?

Middle East Monitor

By Elif Selin Calik | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – To produce energy takes ages, but setting up new diplomatic ties, changes day by day. Even 24 hours are too many to follow all these changes in the 21st Century’s energy wars. Literally, we have seen this in 2020 during the energy price […]

Greece

Could Tensions between Greece and Turkey spiral into yet another European war?

The Conversation

By Yasar Bukan, Toronto Metropolitan University | – Tensions are flaring between Turkey and Greece over the militarization of the eastern Aegean islands and a host of other issues. Considering Russia’s military expansion across the region, it would be strategically wise for the two NATO members to de-escalate and improve relations based on mutual trust […]

Feminism

Women in Turkey, Including Turkish Kurds, stand in solidarity with Women of Iran

Global Voices

By Arzu Geybullayeva | – From video campaigns circulating on social media to street protests and singers cutting their hair on stage — women from all walks of life in Turkey have expressed solidarity with the ongoing protests in Iran. In a country where women’s rights keep deteriorating, the murder of Mahsa Amini hits close […]

Iraq

America’s Fickle Relationship with the Kurds: Review of “Rethinking State-Non-State Alliances: Change and Continuity in the U.S.-Kurdish Relationship”

Marc Martorell Junyent

Barcelona (Special to Informed Comment) – Review of Ozum Yesiltas, Rethinking State-Non-State Alliances: Change and Continuity in the U.S.-Kurdish Relationship (Lanham: Lexington Books, 2022). The Kurds of Syria and Iraq have been at the forefront of the fight against the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Their fight against the radical group brought […]

Greece

Biden needs NATO unity to Confront Russia, but will Turkish-Greek Conflict in the Aegean Break it Up?

Middle East Monitor

By Elif Selin Calik | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – For the first time in its long history, NATO’s unity is under threat as a result of the rift between two of its members; Turkiye and Greece and their manoeuvres in the Aegean Sea. The latest crisis between the two began in August […]

Israel/ Palestine

Can the UN be Reformed? Turkish President Erdogan’s “A Fairer World is Possible.” – A Review

John Hickman

Mt. Berry, Ga. (Special to Informed Comment) – I avoid reading books written by politicians. They are all too often nothing more than exercises in annoying self-promotion disguised in improbably high-minded language. Yet circumstance tempted me beyond the powers of resistance to buy a copy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 2021 book A Fairer […]

Banking

In Turkey’s plunging Economy, Conspiracy and Corruption allegations Abound

Global Voices

By Civic Media Observatory | – ( Globalvoices.org ) – Whether on a date or at a family gathering, one topic of conversation is on everyone’s lips in Turkey: the country’s deepening economic crisis. There are several angles to the story. While Erdoğan’s government argues that the country is in an “economic war” against enemies, […]

Islam

In Turkey, Arrest of Pop Singer for Offending Clerics Prompts Fears of Turn to Fundamentalist Government

Global Voices

By Arzu Geybullayeva | – Police in Turkey have arrested pop singer Gülşen (full name Gülşen Colakoglu), 46, pending trial, over a comment she made about religious schools, months ago during one of her concerts. Last April, Gülşen, joked about one of her colleagues’ Imam Hatip past during a concert in Istanbul. Imam Hatip high […]