Jake Hess on August 17, 2010 1 Comment
Kurdish refugees flee Turkish state terrorism
Editor's Pick, Resistance
The US must switch support to the CHP in Turkey
Burhan Gurdogan — June 30, 2010 7 Comments
It is apparent that every day under the antiquated Neo-Ottomanist policies of AKP and Davutoglu, Turkey is drifting apart from West rapidly. If AKP manages to win one more election, the United States and the West will completely lose an ally in Turkey.
Editor's Pick, Politics
Turkey is harming itself under the AKP
Burhan Gurdogan — June 6, 2010 9 Comments
As a result of Israel’s aggression and the recent uranium deal with Iran, the AKP’s effort to pull Turkey from away west and toward the Islamic Middle East have started to be successful.
Politics
Turkey’s future lies with West, not the Middle East
Burhan Gurdogan — May 27, 2010 4 Comments
Until now, Ahmet Davutoglu showed a very weak performance in Turkish foreign policy. If he keeps chasing unrealistic Neo-Ottomanist ideas in future, Turkey might suffer much worse consequences. Davutoglu should acknowledge that Turkey’s future lies with the West, not with Islamic Middle Eastern countries
Politics
Defend Kurdish journalists imprisoned in Turkey for 187 years
Matt Kennard — May 14, 2010 1 Comment
Turkey wants to join the EU, but unless it changes its constitution, which the people have a referendum on in the not-too-distance-future, it will stay stuck in the backward, demented system that is being handily exploited by a group of authoritarian boneheads who think they are defending Turkey, but are in fact hastening its descent into dictatorship and fascism
Editor's Pick, Media
Ergenekon case in Turkey has been handled terribly by judiciary
Burhan Gurdogan — May 11, 2010 3 Comments
If any of the Turkish domestic laws conflict with the ECHR, the judges should apply the ECHR articles instead of the domestic laws. In the Ergenekon case both the Constitution’s articles and the ECHR articles has been violated and it is obvious that if some of the defendants go to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Turkey will have to pay for damages
Editor's Pick, Law
Turkey’s constitutional amendments are welcome but undemocratic
Burhan Gurdogan — April 15, 2010 0 Comments
In order to make the people say “yes”, they will put 27 very democratic amendments in the package and not give the right to vote for them separately: one either has to say yes to everything or no to everything
Editor's Pick, Politics
Maureen Freely interview on Ataturk, Kurdish human rights, Orhan Pamuk, and the Armenian genocide
Matt Kennard — April 12, 2010 10 Comments
Born in Neptune, New Jersey, Freely grew up in Turkey and now lives in England, where she lectures at the University of Warwick and is an occasional contributor to The Guardian and The Independent newspapers. Among her novels is The Life of the Party, set in Turkey. She has also written The Other Rebecca, a [...]
Politics
Turkey, coups and the ‘Sledgehammer’ operation
Gizem Yarbil — February 26, 2010 4 Comments
Turkey has been rattled by the news this week that about 50 military commanders were detained for allegedly planning a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Islamic-leaning government. The commanders are accused of “attempting to remove the government through force and violence” in a supposed plot codenamed “Sledgehammer.” Alleged tactics include planting bombs at mosques [...]
Politics
Early elections in Turkey: Who will win?
Burhan Gurdogan — February 24, 2010 0 Comments
Following the recent developments in Turkey, the opposition parties have begun to put pressure on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to have an early election. The opposition parties realized that the failure of the Kurdish opening, TEKEL workers’ resistance, and the ongoing economic crisis has damaged the AKP and they are trying to benefit from the situation
Politics
The AKP: Turkey’s Islamist Thatcherites
Matt Kennard — February 22, 2010 2 Comments
The current Tekel and union movement is also up against a notoriously barbaric police force, which has unleashed violence and mayhem at regular intervals on peaceful demonstrations in Istanbul and around the country, most infamously at the annual May Day celebrations
Politics
European Union hypocrisy over Turkey and Islam
Burhan Gurdogan — February 17, 2010 0 Comments
Denied Support to the Refah Party (Welfare Party) As far as we know, the origin of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey (AKP), is actually the Refah Party, who previously held the position. This political party was closed by the constitutional court on January 16, 1998, on grounds of being at the center [...]