By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Turkey’s historic referendum on Sunday will move the country from a parliamentary to a presidential system. Many observers are sounding a death knell for Turkish democracy as a result, but the move to presidentialism in and of itself isn’t the problem. Interestingly, Erdogan won with a […]
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Turkey
Turkey’s Referendum on Democracy vs. Illiberal Rule
By Natalie Martin | (The Conversation) | – – When the Turkish government announced its plans to transform itself into an executive presidency, no-one was particularly surprised. This plan, which has been described as “the most radical political change since the modern republic’s foundation in 1923”, is the culmination of a steady drift towards authoritarianism […]
Has Trump deferred to Russia in Syria?
By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Elizabeth Palmer reported from Ankara last Thursday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had difficult and inconclusive discussions with Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan concerning Syria. After the meeting he said publicly, that the “longer-term status of President (Bashar) Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.” […]
In Erdogan’s Turkey, an Artist is Jailed for Painting Reality
TeleSur | – – A Turkish court has handed down a two-year, nine-month and 22-day jail sentence to a Kurdish artist because of her painting of a Kurdish village being razed by Turkish security forces. Turkish Artist Zehra Doğan Sentenced to Prison for Painting of Kurdish Town Attack — Alexander Rubinstein (@AlexR_DC) March 24, 2017 […]
Turkey’s Erdogan trolls Germany with “Fascist” Charge
By Joel Schalit | EURACTIV | – – Normally, the accusation is reversed. Erdogan undoubtedly knew that when he accused Germany on Sunday of “fascist actions” typical of the Nazi era, for cancelling rallies to drive support for an April referendum granting himself broad new powers. Yet, the significance of reversing the hackneyed War on […]
Turkey’s Coup aftermath and Human Rights: A Feminist Perspective
By Banu Gökarıksel | ( Duke University Blog ) | – – Feminist critiques of political power reveal the central function of gender, sexuality, and difference in maintaining that power. Yet, in current events, a feminist geopolitics is rarely considered and has been absent from analysis of the 2016 coup attempt and its aftermath in […]
Danger as Turkey votes on Presidential System while in State of Emergency
By Arzu Geybullayeva | (Globalvoices.org) | – – On April 16, Turks will head to polls to yay or nay constitutional amendments which have been approved by the 550 seat parliament where the majority of seats (317) belong to the ruling party of Justice and Development (AKP) under the control of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. […]
Turkey’s Long Nightmare: Remembering the Night of the Coup
Cüneyt Özdemir | (Duke University Middle East Studies Center | – – Cüneyt Özdemir is a columnist and investigative journalist with 28 years experience reporting from Turkey and the Middle East. An icon of Turkish media, he is host of the weekly current events program 5N1K, the author of thirteen books on politics and popular […]
Turkey’s Referendum on a Presidential System provokes Fears on Both Sides
By Ali Murat Yel | (Informed Comment) | – – Turkey is facing a possible referendum in April regarding a constitutional amendment that would change the current system from a parliamentary to a presidential one. Despite heated debates in the public arena, in which the left has alleged that a presidential system will move Turkey […]
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