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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Turkey’s economy grows at the fastest pace in the G-20 group of nations - World Politics Journal

Turkey’s economy grows at the fastest pace in the G-20 group of nations

by WPJ · 31st March 2018

Turkey’s economy has rebounded from a slump that followed the failed military coup in July 2016 that stoked fears of instability, growing at the fastest rate in the G-20 group of nations.

More:Turkey’s economy grows at the fastest pace in the G-20 group of nations - World Politics Journal

'Macron has crossed a line with Turkey' - France 24

'Macron has crossed a line with Turkey'

Text by FRANCE 24

Latest update : 2018-03-31
Tensions flared between Ankara and Paris after France's Macron expressed support for the Kurds in Syria, currently the target of a Turkish military operation. FRANCE 24 talked to Kurdish specialist Olivier Piot about the president's comments.

More:'Macron has crossed a line with Turkey' - France 24

Turkey's Erdogan says credit agencies derail economy | MENAFN.COM

Turkey's Erdogan says credit agencies derail economy

Date
3/31/2018 1:52:25 PM

(MENAFN) On Friday, Turkey's president criticized credit rating agencies for trying to derail Turkey's economy.

More:Turkey's Erdogan says credit agencies derail economy | MENAFN.COM

Friday, March 30, 2018

Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Amberin Zaman (Turkey Pulse) March 29, 2018

Article Summary Turkish diplomats will meet in Washington tomorrow, hoping to build on what Ankara has said are US pledges to push Syrian Kurdish fighters out of Manbij in northern Syria.

More:Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Amberin Zaman (Turkey Pulse) March 29, 2018

Article Summary Turkish diplomats will meet in Washington tomorrow, hoping to build on what Ankara has said are US pledges to push Syrian Kurdish fighters out of Manbij in northern Syria.

More:Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Turkey’s growth more than doubles to 7.4% on spending surge

Turkey’s growth more than doubles to 7.4% on spending surge

Figures fuel expectations of exceeding targets but also highlight risk of overheating

More:Turkey’s growth more than doubles to 7.4% on spending surge

Turkish opposition may unite against Erdoğan | Ahval

Turkish opposition may unite against Erdoğan

Turkey’s opposition parties may unite against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in presidential and parliamentary elections next year.

More:Turkish opposition may unite against Erdoğan | Ahval

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Istanbul exhibition recalls beer's popularity in Ottoman times

Istanbul exhibition recalls beer's popularity in Ottoman times

Aylin Oney Tan March 28, 2018

Article Summary Turkey's beer drinkers complain of high prices and legal limitations today, yet more than a century ago beer gardens were seen as ultimate modernity.

More:Istanbul exhibition recalls beer's popularity in Ottoman times

Canal (Kanal) Istanbul May Displace Thousands, Impact Ocean and Water Quality

Will Istanbul's Massive New Canal Be an Environmental Disaster?

The ambitious Canal Istanbul project could displace thousands of people, imperil the city’s tenuous water supply, and impact ocean life, critics say.

More:Canal (Kanal) Istanbul May Displace Thousands, Impact Ocean and Water Quality

Erdogan seems unhappy with system he created in his image

Erdogan seems unhappy with system he created in his image

Pinar Tremblay March 27, 2018 0

Article Summary It's unclear whether Turkey's government respects the rule of law, even though the administration has redesigned many of the laws to suit itself.

More:Erdogan seems unhappy with system he created in his image

Turkish Banker Cast as Bit Player in Epic Sanctions Case

Turkish Banker Cast as Bit Player in Epic Sanctions Case March 27, 2018 ADAM KLASFELD

MANHATTAN (CN) – Call him “The Banker of Ankara.” Recalling Portia’s plea for Shylock to season justice with mercy in “The Merchant of Venice,” attorneys have asked a federal judge for leniency in sentencing the Turk who flouted sanctions against Iran through a series of multibillion-dollar bank trades.

More:Turkish Banker Cast as Bit Player in Epic Sanctions Case

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Turkey's Biggest National Security Threat Is Its Economy | The National Interest

Turkey's Biggest National Security Threat Is Its Economy

Turkey appears to be heading for a major economic crisis, much of it of its own making.
Scott B. MacDonald

March 27, 2018

Turkey is a pivotal country, located with one foot in Europe and the other in Asia. It borders the European Union countries of Greece and Bulgaria and shares its southern borders with civil war-torn Syria, the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, aspiring regional power Iran, Russian ally Armenia, and Georgia. Across the Black Sea is Russia, a traditional foe and now tentative ally. With a little over eighty million people and one of the region’s largest militaries Turkey is of consequence for its neighborhood as well as the geopolitical calculations of the United States, Germany, Russia and the Middle East. Unfortunately, Turkey could well be heading into a major economic crisis.

More:Turkey's Biggest National Security Threat Is Its Economy | The National Interest

Europe fakes Turkish delight – POLITICO

Europe fakes Turkish delight

Prospect of breathing new life into Turkey’s bid for EU membership remains as remote as ever.

By Matthew Karnitschnig

3/27/18, 4:01 AM CET

Updated 3/27/18, 1:43 PM CET

Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast offers everything Europe’s political elite expect from a good summit: an exotic location, breathtaking views and (most important) casks of fine wine.

More:Europe fakes Turkish delight – POLITICO

Turkey and EU fail to reach 'concrete solutions' after talks - The Express Tribune

Turkey and EU fail to reach 'concrete solutions' after talks
By AFP
Published: March 27, 2018

VARNA, BULGARIA:
The EU on Monday said it failed to reach any “concrete solutions or compromises” with Turkey in talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeking to repair their tattered relations.

More:Turkey and EU fail to reach 'concrete solutions' after talks - The Express Tribune

Human Rights Threatened in Today’s Turkey | The Epoch Times

Human Rights Threatened in Today’s Turkey
By David Kilgour
March 26, 2018 5:50 pm Last Updated: March 26, 2018 5:50 pm

For almost a century, Turkey has been an internationally-admired Muslim-majority democracy. Under its World War 1 hero and founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turks obtained full independence in 1923, and later the rule of law, universal literacy, separation of state and religion, rights for women, and NATO membership.

More:Human Rights Threatened in Today’s Turkey | The Epoch Times

Erdogan is unravelling Ataturk’s legacy | Coffee House

Erdogan is unravelling Ataturk’s legacy
Hannah Lucinda Smith

27 March 2018

If there is a place in Turkey where Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the swaggering six-foot president, looks small it is at the tomb of the nation’s founder. Anitkabir, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s mausoleum, spreads over 185 acres in the heart of the capital Ankara. It is a monument to nationalism, towering modernism and the man who dismantled the Ottoman Empire and then rebuilt it as a nation state. Erdogan has made little secret of his distaste for elements of Ataturk’s project – particularly its staunch secularism – since he first rose to political prominence as mayor of Istanbul in the mid-1990s. Yet since 2003, as prime minister and then president, he has been obliged to visit Anitkabir several times a year on Turkey’s national holidays to publicly pay his respects to his biggest rival.

More:Erdogan is unravelling Ataturk’s legacy | Coffee House

Turkey, EU fund projects to increase number of Syrian refugees studying at Turkish universities

Turkey, EU fund projects to increase number of Syrian refugees studying at Turkish universities
ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

More than 4,200 Syrian youth will benefit from Turkish academic programs, a joint statement by the Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and the U.N.’s refugee agency said on March 27.

More:Turkey, EU fund projects to increase number of Syrian refugees studying at Turkish universities

Monday, March 26, 2018

Appeasement will not work with Erdogan

Appeasement will not work with Erdogan

The mausoleum in Ankara of Mustafa Kemal Ataturkk (1881-1938), widely considered the founder of a modern, secular, democratic Turkey - which Erdogan's critics say he is now destroying (Photo: David Stanley)

By Selcuk Gultasli
BRUSSELS, Today, 11:44

The European Union's top leaders are meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this Monday (26 March) in the Bulgarian city of Varna.

This is the second mini-summit with the Turkish president in less than a year - and when Turkey is reaching new lows in violating basic human rights and fundamental freedoms as an EU 'acceding candidate country'.

More:Appeasement will not work with Erdogan

How Turkey’s outreach to its diaspora is inflaming tensions with Europe - The Washington Post

How Turkey’s outreach to its diaspora is inflaming tensions with Europe
by Ayca Arkilic March 26 at 5:00 AM

Turkey’s relations with Europe took another strained turn. In early February, the Dutch government announced it had recalled its ambassador to Turkey and would not be receiving a new Turkish ambassador to the Netherlands. The Dutch government then halted diplomatic talks with Ankara and do not expect to normalize ties any time soon.

More:How Turkey’s outreach to its diaspora is inflaming tensions with Europe - The Washington Post

EU, Turkey Seek to Mend Ties Amid Disputes Over Sea Borders - Bloomberg

EU, Turkey Seek to Mend Ties Amid Disputes Over Sea Borders
By Elizabeth Konstantinova
and Slav Okov
March 25, 2018, 11:00 PM EDT Updated on March 26, 2018, 8:27 AM EDT

European Union leaders to meet with Turkey’s Erdogan on Monday
Meeting follows heated exchanges over spat with Greece, Cyprus

Three European Union leaders will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Bulgaria on Monday in a bid to mend frayed relations and ensure Turkey continues to prevent an influx of Middle East refugees.

More:EU, Turkey Seek to Mend Ties Amid Disputes Over Sea Borders - Bloomberg

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Turkish companies eye global branding

Turkish companies eye global branding
BURSA - Anadolu Agency

Executives of leading firms in Turkey want to see more Turkish brands marketed globally, the participants of a large business summit heard on March 23.

More:Turkish companies eye global branding

Already Frayed, U.S.-Turkey Ties Take Another Hit Over Steel Tariffs - The Media Line

Already Frayed, U.S.-Turkey Ties Take Another Hit Over Steel Tariffs

By Kristina Jovanovski | The Media Line March 25, 2018

Turkey is the eighth-largest steel producer in the world and the sixth-largest exporter of the metal to the U.S. The Turkish steel industry is bracing for the impact of newly-introduced U.S. tariffs, but analysts are warning Ankara not to over-react.

More:Already Frayed, U.S.-Turkey Ties Take Another Hit Over Steel Tariffs - The Media Line

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Erdogan plunges ahead as free media fades to black | Yavuz Baydar | AW

Erdogan plunges ahead as free media fades to black

The sale of Dogan gives the government complete control of the media ahead of general elections in 2019.

More:Erdogan plunges ahead as free media fades to black | Yavuz Baydar | AW

Friday, March 23, 2018

Fall of Afrin: Turkey’s Vietnam or Washington’s nightmare?

Fall of Afrin: Turkey’s Vietnam or Washington’s nightmare?
Cengiz Candar March 22, 2018

Article Summary Following the fall of the Syrian city of Afrin to Turkish forces March 18, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's threats to expand operations to other regions controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces seem credible.

More:Fall of Afrin: Turkey’s Vietnam or Washington’s nightmare?

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Charges Have Been Dropped Against Most Turkish Officers in D.C. Clash - WSJ

Charges Have Been Dropped Against Most Turkish Officers in D.C. Clash Case had caused a rift between the U.S. and Turkey

By Dion Nissenbaum and Del Quentin Wilber
March 21, 2018 11:55 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against 11 of 15 members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security team who were accused in connection with the beating of protesters during their visit to Washington last year, the latest twist in a case that caused a diplomatic rift between the U.S. and Turkey.

More:Charges Have Been Dropped Against Most Turkish Officers in D.C. Clash - WSJ

Virtual farming game cheats Turks out of real property

Virtual farming game cheats Turks out of real property

Pinar Tremblay March 21, 2018

Article Summary Turkish prosecutors have opened an investigation into a young man being accused of using a Ponzi scheme to bilk around 80,000 Turks out of millions of dollars.

More:Virtual farming game cheats Turks out of real property

US spending bill drops Turkey sanctions

US spending bill drops Turkey sanctions
Amberin Zaman March 22, 2018

Article Summary
A draft spending bill has dropped proposed Turkey sanctions meant to target Turkey's detention of Americans and US consulate staff amid US efforts to ease tensions with Ankara.

More:US spending bill drops Turkey sanctions

Turkey Gives Its Aggressive TV Censor Control Over the Web - Bloomberg

Turkey Gives Its Aggressive TV Censor Control Over the Web
By Firat Kozok
March 22, 2018, 6:42 AM EDT

Bill will allow government to censor programs on Netflix
Implications for YouTube, other video services remain unclear

Turkey’s parliament approved a new law on Wednesday that allows its radio and TV watchdog to vet Internet broadcasts, granting the government the ability to intervene against content by producers including Netflix Inc.

More:Turkey Gives Its Aggressive TV Censor Control Over the Web - Bloomberg

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Pro-Erdogan firm reportedly taking over Turkey′s last bastion of liberal media | News | DW | 21.03.2018

Pro-Erdogan firm reportedly taking over Turkey's last bastion of liberal media

A firm known for its pro-government messaging is set to buy one of the last bastions of liberal media in the country, local media reported. Turkey has witnessed press freedom deteriorate since a failed coup in 2016.

More:Pro-Erdogan firm reportedly taking over Turkey′s last bastion of liberal media | News | DW | 21.03.2018

Turkey's tiny Saadet Party emerges as potential kingmaker

Turkey's tiny Saadet Party emerges as potential kingmaker
Ayla Jean Yackley March 21, 2018

Article Summary
The Islamist Saadet Party's message of reconciliation and more moderate approach to religion may build support beyond its conservative base, especially with voters disenchanted after 15 years under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More:Turkey's tiny Saadet Party emerges as potential kingmaker

Erdogan impatient to charge ahead in Syria as Ankara sizes up Pompeo

Erdogan impatient to charge ahead in Syria as Ankara sizes up Pompeo
Semih Idiz March 20, 2018

Article Summary
The US president's choice for his new secretary of state comes at an inconvenient time for Erdogan’s plans to capitalize on Turkey’s victory over the US-allied Syrian Kurdish militia in Afrin.

More:Erdogan impatient to charge ahead in Syria as Ankara sizes up Pompeo

Pro-Erdogan Group Agrees to Buy Owner of Hurriyet Newspaper, CNN Turk | World News | US News

Pro-Erdogan Group Agrees to Buy Owner of Hurriyet Newspaper, CNN Turk
March 21, 2018, at 11:02 a.m.

By Orhan Coskun

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's Demiroren Holding, an unlisted firm seen as backing President Tayyip Erdogan, has agreed to buy the respected Hurriyet newspaper and broadcaster CNN Turk, an official said, a deal that could further cement media support for the government.

More:Pro-Erdogan Group Agrees to Buy Owner of Hurriyet Newspaper, CNN Turk | World News | US News

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Thousands sacked in Turkey since coup attempt | All media content | DW | 20.03.2018

Thousands sacked in Turkey since coup attempt

Since the coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the summer of 2016, up to 150,000 people have been fired or suspended from government jobs. Most were accused of supporting terrorism, with no evidence to support the claim.

More:Thousands sacked in Turkey since coup attempt | All media content | DW | 20.03.2018

U.N. calls for Turkey to end state of emergency, halt violations

U.N. calls for Turkey to end state of emergency, halt violations

Stephanie Nebehay 4 Min Read GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations called on Turkey on Tuesday to end its 20-month-old state of emergency and accused Ankara of mass arrests, arbitrary sackings and other abuses that in some cases amounted to “collective punishment”.

More:U.N. calls for Turkey to end state of emergency, halt violations

Turkey’s Erdogan: Leader-for-Life? - The Globalist

Turkey’s Erdogan: Leader-for-Life?

The country’s leader since 2003 has been adept at evading term limits or restarting the clock on them.

More:Turkey’s Erdogan: Leader-for-Life? - The Globalist

Monday, March 19, 2018

The U.S. Alliance With Turkey Is Worth Preserving – Foreign Policy

The U.S. Alliance With Turkey Is Worth Preserving

Ankara is a difficult friend. That doesn't mean the United States should cut it loose.

More:The U.S. Alliance With Turkey Is Worth Preserving – Foreign Policy

Problems exist for US, Turkey - Delaware Gazette

Problems exist for US, Turkey

By Barbara Tull - Special to The Gazette

Turkey and the U.S. have a history of close ties in the past; however in a recent poll, 72 percent of the Turkish population pointed to the U.S. as their country’s number one security threat.

More:Problems exist for US, Turkey - Delaware Gazette

Sultan Who Raged at the West Becomes a Hero in Erdogan’s Turkey - Bloomberg

Sultan Who Raged at the West Becomes a Hero in Erdogan’s Turkey
By Selcan Hacaoglu
March 19, 2018, 12:00 AM EDT Updated on March 19, 2018, 7:55 AM EDT

“Behind everything that’s harmful to this nation,” the Turkish leader said, “lies an order from the West.”

That’s Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, in an episode of the historical TV drama watched by millions of Turks every Friday. And if they come away drawing parallels with contemporary politics, the country’s current ruler probably wouldn’t object.

More:Sultan Who Raged at the West Becomes a Hero in Erdogan’s Turkey - Bloomberg

Turkish thermal coal market suppressed by weak demand, falling European prices - Coal | Platts News Article & Story

Turkish thermal coal market suppressed by weak demand, falling European prices

London (Platts)--19 Mar 2018 546 am EDT/946 GMT

The delivered price for thermal coal into Turkey has dropped again in the week to Friday on the back of low consumer demand and falling European prices.

More:Turkish thermal coal market suppressed by weak demand, falling European prices - Coal | Platts News Article & Story

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Turkey, Free Syrian Army now in control of Afrin, Erdogan says | Euronews

Turkey, Free Syrian Army now in control of Afrin, Erdogan says

By Michael Daventry & Louise Miner • last updated: 18/03/2018

Turkish and Free Syrian Army forces took control of the town of Afrin in northwestern Syria on Sunday morning, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

More:Turkey, Free Syrian Army now in control of Afrin, Erdogan says | Euronews

Erdogan says Turkish forces have taken control of Syrian town of Afrin | The Japan Times

Erdogan says Turkish forces have taken control of Syrian town of Afrin

ISTANBUL – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that allied Syrian forces have taken “total” control of the town center of Afrin, the target of a nearly two-month-old Turkish offensive against a Syrian Kurdish militia, which said fighting is still underway.

More:Erdogan says Turkish forces have taken control of Syrian town of Afrin | The Japan Times

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Confrontation between Turkey and US set to continue

Confrontation between Turkey and US set to continue

Relations between Turkey and the U.S. have probably never been so tense.

What lies behind the worsening situation in Ankara-Washington ties? Is it a continuation of the March 2003 syndrome, when tension peaked around the U.S. invasion of Iraq? Are the Americans trying to punish Turkey and the so-called “Eurasianists” here? Or is it possible to say the “caliphate” hopes of a certain someone, the hallucinations of “Sunni solidarity” are at the root of this discord? Or is the perennial perception seeing Kurdish demands for fundamental rights as an “existential threat” at the root of this discord?

More:Confrontation between Turkey and US set to continue

Friday, March 16, 2018

Public debate in Turkey post-Afrin: "There are plenty of traitors" - Qantara.de

"There are plenty of traitors"

Verbal attacks, death threats and hate speech are an increasingly common feature of public discourse in Turkey. And many think that this mix of nationalistic, pseudo-religious and discriminatory rhetoric is being stoked by the government. By Ceyda Nurtsch

More:Public debate in Turkey post-Afrin: "There are plenty of traitors" - Qantara.de

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Why Erdogan called for updating Islam

Why Erdogan called for updating Islam

Mustafa Akyol March 14, 2018

Article Summary Misogyny in the name of Islam proved shocking to Turkey’s secularists, but it also was disturbing to most moderate religious conservatives, many of whom vote for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More:Why Erdogan called for updating Islam

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Reflections on Turkey: From Mustafa Kemal To Recep Erdoğan - IDN-InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

Reflections on Turkey: From Mustafa Kemal To Recep Erdoğan

Viewpoint by Pier Francesco Zarcone*

ROME (IDN) – Has Turkey changed under Erdoğan? The question may seem absurd due to the habit of considering Turkey a secular and Westernised country before Recep Erdoğan came to power.

More:Reflections on Turkey: From Mustafa Kemal To Recep Erdoğan - IDN-InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

EU greenlights €3 billion for Syrian refugees in Turkey | News | DW | 14.03.2018

EU greenlights €3 billion for Syrian refugees in Turkey

The EU has unlocked €3 billion ($3.7 billion) for projects to help Syrian refugees in Turkey in a second payment from the 2016 migration deal. More than a million refugees have already benefited from the funds.

More:EU greenlights €3 billion for Syrian refugees in Turkey | News | DW | 14.03.2018

UNITED STATES/TURKEY : Erdogan manoeuvres to defuse impact of Halkbank affair

Erdogan manoeuvres to defuse impact of Halkbank affair

Erdogan has hired new lobbyists in Washington as Turkey braces itself for a heavy sentence against the state-run lender.

More:UNITED STATES/TURKEY : Erdogan manoeuvres to defuse impact of Halkbank affair

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Op-Ed: Erdogan the Magnificent, Turkey's Neo-Ottoman Revival | Military.com

Op-Ed: Erdogan the Magnificent, Turkey's Neo-Ottoman Revival

Military.com 13 Mar 2018 By Joseph V. Micallef

Joseph V. Micallef is a best-selling military history and world affairs author, and keynote speaker.

In 1994, an aspiring Turkish politician named Recep Tayyip Erdogan leveraged his fame as a player for Istanbul's Kasimpasa Soccer Club into a successful run for mayor of Istanbul as a candidate of the Islamist Welfare Party.

More:Op-Ed: Erdogan the Magnificent, Turkey's Neo-Ottoman Revival | Military.com

Turkish lira, bonds hit by concerns of over-heating economy

Turkish lira, bonds hit by concerns of over-heating economy

Adam Samson in London

Turkey’s government debt and currency have come under renewed pressure amid swirling concerns its economy is over-heating.

More:Turkish lira, bonds hit by concerns of over-heating economy

Turkey passes controversial new voting law – POLITICO

Turkey passes controversial new voting law

Legislation jeopardizes fairness of 2019 elections, opponents say. By Maxime Schlee 3/13/18, 12:52 PM CET

The Turkish parliament has passed legislation that will alter the country’s electoral regulations, sparking criticism from opposition members, who fear the change will undermine the fairness of 2019 elections.

More:Turkey passes controversial new voting law – POLITICO

Afrin Under Siege: Turkey Prepares to Crush Kurdish Enclave

Afrin Under Siege: Turkey Prepares to Crush Kurdish Enclave
By David Brennan On 3/13/18 at 11:09 AM

Turkish forces have encircled the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwest Syria and are preparing to crush the Kurdish forces trapped there, CNN has reported.

More:Afrin Under Siege: Turkey Prepares to Crush Kurdish Enclave

Getting to Yes With Turkey - WSJ

Getting to Yes With Turkey
There’s a common interest in countering the Russian-Iranian axis in Syria.
By Walter Russell Mead
March 12, 2018 7:32 p.m. ET

The post-Obama Middle East is a grim and ugly place: the brutal wars in Syria, the deepened chaos in Iraq, the shambolic Libya mess, the vaulting ambition of Iran, the intrusion of Russia, the smoldering failure of the Arab Spring, and the collapse of the U.S.-Turkish relationship.

More:Getting to Yes With Turkey - WSJ

Monday, March 12, 2018

Some 40 million Turks ruled by appointed, not elected, mayors

Some 40 million Turks ruled by appointed, not elected, mayors
Fehim Tastekin March 12, 2018

Article Summary
Institutions, including private ones, whose officials were once elected are being taken over by government-appointed trustees in the president's ever-expanding arena of influence.

More:Some 40 million Turks ruled by appointed, not elected, mayors

A Turkish-Venezuelan solidarity story

A Turkish-Venezuelan solidarity story

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was supposed to make a trip to Latin America following his visit to the Vatican on Feb. 5. On Feb. 2, it was announced that the visit was postponed. The press did not pay attention to why the visit was organized in the first place and why it was cancelled later, but there is an interesting diplomatic story behind it.

More:A Turkish-Venezuelan solidarity story

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Hypocrisy on women’s rights in Turkey

Hypocrisy on women’s rights in Turkey

On March 8, thousands of women marched in unison on Istanbul’s central İstiklal Avenue. According to the “We Will Stop Femicide” platform, in February alone 48 women in Turkey were killed by men.

More:Hypocrisy on women’s rights in Turkey

Turkey Election Overhaul Seen Boosting Erdogan Gains Momentum - Bloomberg

Russia to export meat, milk, fish to Turkey - agriculture minister

Sweeping changes to Turkey’s electoral laws that could help President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tighten his grip on power are set to begin their passage through parliament, with the opposition warning that they would increase the risk of vote fraud.

More:Turkey Election Overhaul Seen Boosting Erdogan Gains Momentum - Bloomberg

TASS: Business & Economy - Russia to export meat, milk, fish to Turkey - agriculture minister

Russia to export meat, milk, fish to Turkey - agriculture minister

March 11, 10:09 UTC+3
Russia builds up import of Turkish agricultural products, Alexander Tkachev said

More:TASS: Business & Economy - Russia to export meat, milk, fish to Turkey - agriculture minister

Friday, March 09, 2018

Erdogan: Turkish troops on the verge of entering Afrin | Syria News | Al Jazeera

Erdogan: Turkish troops on the verge of entering Afrin

Turkish president says forces 'removing last remaining obstacles' in their attempt to seize YPG-held Syrian district.

More:Erdogan: Turkish troops on the verge of entering Afrin | Syria News | Al Jazeera

Istanbul’s new airport: a looming black hole

Istanbul’s new airport: a looming black hole

Mustafa Sonmez March 9, 2018

Article Summary Istanbul’s giant new airport, scheduled to partially open in October ahead of key elections next year, has become a headache that threatens to carve a black hole in Turkey’s public finances.

More:Istanbul’s new airport: a looming black hole

Thursday, March 08, 2018

Turkish women take to the streets to demand equality

Turkish women take to the streets to demand equality
Ayla Jean Yackley March 8, 2018

Article Summary
Activists say 15 years of rule by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has eroded women’s rights, even as he has vowed to end domestic violence and strengthen the role of women in Turkish society.

More:Turkish women take to the streets to demand equality

Council of Europe Calls for Istanbul Convention Ratification

Council of Europe Calls for Istanbul Convention Ratification
By HINA, 08 Mar 2018, 14:19 PM Politics

ZAGREB, March 8, 2018 - The Istanbul Convention is not trying to change gender roles but its purpose is to educate against stereotypes based on the idea that women are inferior to men, the Council of Europe said in a statement on Thursday.

More:Council of Europe Calls for Istanbul Convention Ratification

Turkey: the map of violence against women / Turkey / Areas / Homepage - Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso - Transeuropa

Turkey: the map of violence against women

An interview with Ceyda Ulukaya, journalist and creator of the first map of femicides in Turkey – an original and appreciated data journalism project

More:Turkey: the map of violence against women / Turkey / Areas / Homepage - Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso - Transeuropa

Turkey: powerfully fragile

Turkey: powerfully fragile

The country is expected to have the widest deficit of any emerging market this year

More:Turkey: powerfully fragile

The myth of national unity is destroying Turkish media | Middle East Eye

The myth of national unity is destroying Turkish media
#Media

By classifying any criticism of the Afrin operation as treason and support for terrorism, Turkey is going down a path that will lead to further deterioration of the right to democratic expression

More:The myth of national unity is destroying Turkish media | Middle East Eye

The Latest: Turkey Wants Afrin Offensive to End by May | World News | US News

The Latest: Turkey Wants Afrin Offensive to End by May

Turkey's foreign minister says his government hopes that a cross-border military offensive in a Syrian Kurdish-held enclave will end before May.

More:The Latest: Turkey Wants Afrin Offensive to End by May | World News | US News

Wednesday, March 07, 2018

Putin, Rouhani and Erdogan to Meet for Talks in April | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

Putin, Rouhani and Erdogan to Meet for Talks in April
avatar by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet for talks in April, the TASS news agency cited the Kremlin as saying on Wednesday.

More:Putin, Rouhani and Erdogan to Meet for Talks in April | Jewish & Israel News Algemeiner.com

Moody’s downgrades Turkey on political, economic risks

Moody’s downgrades Turkey on political, economic risks

Agency cites concerns about the country’s wide current account deficits

More:Moody’s downgrades Turkey on political, economic risks

Turkey entangled in Syria cease-fire it once supported

Turkey entangled in Syria cease-fire it once supported

Fehim Tastekin March 6, 2018

Article Summary Much to the consternation of many allies, Ankara is challenging the UN Security Council’s cease-fire resolution in Syria, saying it does not apply to Turkey's Afrin operation.

More:Turkey entangled in Syria cease-fire it once supported

Erdogan trying to build new "Ottoman caliphate” – Saudi Crown Prince | Ahval

Erdogan trying to build new "Ottoman caliphate” – Saudi Crown Prince

Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman, who has signed with Egypt an agreement allotting 1,000 square kilometres of land in South Sinai for a megacity project, met with several Egyptian media figures in Cairo on Monday to talk about recent events.

More:Erdogan trying to build new "Ottoman caliphate” – Saudi Crown Prince | Ahval

Turkey’s Central Bank holds rates, weighing inflation

Turkey’s Central Bank holds rates, weighing inflation
ANKARA

Turkey’s Central Bank kept interest rates steady on March 7, saying it would keep policy tight until price pressures eased, signaling its intention to rein in inflation.

Year-on-year inflation has cooled from the 14-year peak of 12.98 percent it reached in November 2017. But at 10.26 percent in February it remains one

More:Turkey’s Central Bank holds rates, weighing inflation

Tuesday, March 06, 2018

Unmanned tech ambitions shape Turkey’s future military

Unmanned tech ambitions shape Turkey’s future military
By: Burak Ege Bekdil   35 minutes ago

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s government and military leaders look determined to boost a multitude of unmanned vehicle programs in hopes these indigenous systems will serve as the backbone of future operations.

More:Unmanned tech ambitions shape Turkey’s future military

Turkey alienates stateless Kurds to its own detriment

Turkey alienates stateless Kurds to its own detriment

Ankara’s aggression towards its ethnic minority strengthens the arc of Iranian power

More:Turkey alienates stateless Kurds to its own detriment

Just 28 percent of Turkish women in work – report | Ahval

Just 28 percent of Turkish women in work – report

Just 28 percent of Turkish women of age 15 or over have a job, Hurriyet newspaper reported citing a study entitled “Women in Statistics 2017” by the state-run statistics institute. The figure compares with 65 percent of men, producing an average for the country of persons gainfully employed of 46 percent, Hurriyet reported on Tuesday.

More:Just 28 percent of Turkish women in work – report | Ahval

Monday, March 05, 2018

Erdoğan’s Very Own Military-Energy-Industrial Complex | Ahval

Erdoğan’s Very Own Military-Energy-Industrial Complex

At the very centre of Turkey’s political economy is a conjunctural and contradictory alliance between the state and finance. These two institutions with varying degrees of influence and involvement organise their alliance around three central industries: construction, energy and armaments. It is worth exploring why these industries but not others ended up being central and what new contradictions these industries are creating for the state-finance alliance.

More:Erdoğan’s Very Own Military-Energy-Industrial Complex | Ahval

Turkey Drifts Away from the West - Modern Diplomacy

Turkey Drifts Away from the West

March 5, 2018 By Antonia Dimou

Turkey has lost its soft power attractiveness due to its leadership’s increasing absolutism and failed foreign policy priorities. The “zero problems with neighbors” concept that unraveled almost at the time of the Arab Spring has given its place to “nothing but problems with every single neighbor”. Key dimensions of Turkish foreign policy, namely relations with the United States (US), NATO, the European Union and MENA countries face growing challenges.

More:Turkey Drifts Away from the West - Modern Diplomacy

Police foil ISIL attack plot on US Embassy in Ankara

Police foil ISIL attack plot on US Embassy in Ankara
ISTANBUL

Turkish police foiled a planned Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on March 5, detaining suspects in the capital Ankara and the Black Sea province of Samsun.

More:Police foil ISIL attack plot on US Embassy in Ankara

Turkish top business body’s research finds TV series reinforce gender stereotypes

Turkish top business body’s research finds TV series reinforce gender stereotypes
ISTANBUL

Turkey’s top business body has initiated a project that aims to encourage shareholders to promote gender equality in TV series, a tool considered effective in reaching the society, amid a research finding that most television shows reinforce gender stereotypes.

More:Turkish top business body’s research finds TV series reinforce gender stereotypes

Sunday, March 04, 2018

Frenemies: Putin and Erdogan - Lawfare

Frenemies: Putin and Erdogan

Sunday, March 4, 2018, 10:00 AM

At a joint press conference in early December 2017, the presidents of Turkey and Russia lauded the dramatic improvement in their bilateral relationship: Between August 2016 and December 2017, trade rebounded, the Turk Stream Pipeline is going forward, Syrian negotiations are ongoing, the Akkuyu nuclear reactor is under construction, and Turkey finalized a deal to purchase Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missiles. The goodwill between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin stands in marked contrast to the animosity after November 2015, when Turkey, after repeated violations of its airspace by Russian planes, shot down a Russian fighter that had strayed across

More:Frenemies: Putin and Erdogan - Lawfare

Child sex abuse in Turkey sparks debate on best prevention - San Francisco Chronicle

Child sex abuse in Turkey sparks debate on best prevention

Zeynep Bilginsoy, Associated Press March 4, 2018

ISTANBUL (AP) — A man suspected of raping a sleeping 4-year-old girl during a wedding in southern Turkey narrowly escaped a neighborhood lynching attempt, sparking a public outcry and calls for the government to prevent and more severely punish child sexual abuse.

More:Child sex abuse in Turkey sparks debate on best prevention - San Francisco Chronicle

Fear and loathing in Turkey | Ahval

Fear and loathing in Turkey

The effects of Turkey’s climate of fear, nationalism and paranoia on academics is the subject of an article in Greek newspaper Kathimerini by academic Katerina Delacoura. Delacoura who visited Turkey last month, describes how one of the academics she meets in Ankara, a Syrian expert, explains is too dangerous to publish scholarly analysis of the situation on the ground, let alone criticism of Ankara’s policies, for fear of retribution.

More:Fear and loathing in Turkey | Ahval

Almost 60,000 cases filed against Prime Ministry over Turkey’s State of Emergency decrees

Almost 60,000 cases filed against Prime Ministry over Turkey’s State of Emergency decrees
ANKARA

Some 57,679 cases were filed against State of Emergency decree laws in 2017, the Prime Ministry Office’s activity report for the year has stated. Around 4,500 of these cases directly accuse the Prime Ministry over rights violations in the decrees.

More:Almost 60,000 cases filed against Prime Ministry over Turkey’s State of Emergency decrees

Saturday, March 03, 2018

Bosnian women set off for all-women convoy in Turkey

Bosnian women set off for all-women convoy in Turkey

200 Bosnian women to join International Conscience Convoy to raise awareness for Syrian women tortured in regime prisons

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Time for Tillerson to repair U.S. ties with Turkey - Axios

Time for Tillerson to repair U.S. ties with Turkey

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's trip to Turkey offers a reminder that while Turks are divided 50-50 on many political issues — including their feelings toward President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — they broadly oppose the U.S. policy of working with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria.

More:Time for Tillerson to repair U.S. ties with Turkey - Axios

Friday, March 02, 2018

EU-Turkey migrant deal redundant, rights chief says

EU-Turkey migrant deal redundant, rights chief says

By Nikolaj Nielsen BRUSSELS, 2. Mar, 09:24

Migrants and refugees would no longer seek to cross into Greece from Turkey even if the controversial migrant deal between the EU and Ankara ceased to exist, says Europe's human rights chief.

More:EU-Turkey migrant deal redundant, rights chief says

Erdogan Institutes Legal and Societal Reforms to Further Islamize Turkey | Newsmax.com

Erdogan Institutes Legal and Societal Reforms to Further Islamize Turkey

By Eli Lake, Bloomberg View
Friday, 02 Mar 2018 10:03 AM Current | Bio | Archive

There isn't much that Turkey's president can do these days to further debase his reputation in the West. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has crushed peaceful protests at home and abroad, closed newspapers, threatened American soldiers, and collectively scapegoated Kurds. But over the weekend, Erdogan managed to go even lower.

More:Erdogan Institutes Legal and Societal Reforms to Further Islamize Turkey | Newsmax.com

Turkey’s sugar privatization faces bitter opposition

Turkey’s sugar privatization faces bitter opposition

Mustafa Sonmez March 1, 2018

Article Summary The Turkish government’s plan to privatize 14 sugar plants has sparked nationwide protests, irking not only factory workers and local communities but also Turkish consumers in general.

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Our ally is Turkey, not the YPG: US official

Our ally is Turkey, not the YPG: US official
Serkan Demirtaş - ANKARA

The United States’ “real ally” in Syria is Turkey and not the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a senior U.S. official has said, stressing Washington’s commitment to re-building trust with its longstanding NATO ally despite scores of bilateral disagreements.

More:Our ally is Turkey, not the YPG: US official

Thursday, March 01, 2018

Turkey′s Erdogan seeks more influence in Africa | Africa | DW | 01.03.2018

Turkey's Erdogan seeks more influence in Africa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is on tour in Africa again. It is no longer about economic cooperation only. Turkey could also be much involved in the issue of security in the future.

More:Turkey′s Erdogan seeks more influence in Africa | Africa | DW | 01.03.2018

Erdoğan's Neo-Ottomanism at a Dangerous Turning Point - IDN-InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

Erdoğan's Neo-Ottomanism at a Dangerous Turning Point

By Pier Francesco Zarcone*

ROME (IDN) – It is not being dealt with by major media, but there appear to be new and dangerous winds of war about to blow in the eastern Mediterranean.

More:Erdoğan's Neo-Ottomanism at a Dangerous Turning Point - IDN-InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

The tsar and sultan quarrel in Syria, who wins? | Ahval

The tsar and sultan quarrel in Syria, who wins?

From the very beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, debates have raged over which states can be counted among its winners and which its losers. With the fall of Idlib and much of Latakia province in the spring of 2015 to rebel militias backed by Ankara, predictions were made of impending triumph for a Turkish government that seemed to be in a position to dictate terms to the Syrian regime. The Russian intervention to save President Bashar Assad in response seemed to have turned the tide with the fall of rebel-held Aleppo in December 2016. To the great anxiety of Ukrainians as well as other governments fending off the Kremlin, in the months that followed many in the West went on to declare Russian President Vladimir Putin the triumphant victor of a conflict that seemed to have turned completely to Turkey’s disadvantage.

More:The tsar and sultan quarrel in Syria, who wins? | Ahval