[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]

Presidential Elections

HDP Announces Demirtaş as Presidential Candidate On 30 June, The Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) announced Selahattin Demirtaş as its candidate for the upcoming presidential elections.

Erdoğan Declares His Presidential Candidacy (1)-(2) On 1 July, the AKP announced the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as its candidate in the first presidential election by public vote; Tülin Daloğlu reports.

Why İhsanoğlu Is a Bad Choice “Why should voters go for an imitation when they can vote for the original?” Ömer Taşpınar asks.

How İhsanoğlu’s Candidacy Changed the Mathematics of Turkish Politics (1)-(2)-(3) Murat Yetkin argues that even if Ihsanoglu loses, he has ended the image of Erdoğan of without an alternative.

Project New Turkey (1)-(2) According to Nuray Mert, the AKP and the Kurdish alliance will win the presidential elections.

Alevi Votes No Piece of Cake for İhsanoğlu, CHP Özgür Korkmaz reports that the CHP’s candidate İhsanoğlu received strong reactions from the Alevis, most of who have voted for the CHP in previous elections.

Could the İhsanoğlu Campaign Succeed? Examining the limits of İhsanoğlu’s appeal among voters, Hatem Ete argues that the CHP and MHP made a misguided decision.

Erdoğan the President (1)-(2) Mustafa Akyol analyzes Erdoğan’s speech after announcing his candidacy and compares Erdoğan’s governance style to illiberal democracies in Latin America.

A New Era (1)-(2) According to Yusuf Kanlı, if Erdoğan is elected, Turkey will have even bigger systemic problems because of Erdoğan’s macho character and oppressive rule.

Erdoğan as President İbrahim Kalın suggests that if Erdoğan is elected, Turkey will have a strong president without a formal presidential system.

Erdoğan and Turkey`s Future Ali Bayramoğlu points out that “some promises” like the resolution process, the struggle with the “parallel structure,” juridical issues, and the new constitution are the main elements of Erdoğan’s presidential campaign.

"Custom-Made President" Candidate Ekmeleddin is a Project… İbrahim Karagül speculates that the the operation of the ISIL in Iraq has some connection with İhsanoğlu’s candidacy.

Two Mentalities—Two Choices… (1)-(2) Markar Esayan argues that after Erdoğan’s candidacy, a struggle might happen among the ranks of the AKP.

The Presidential Election: Three Names Two Candidates According to Taha Özhan, although there are three candidates, only two of them—the AKP’s candidate Erdogan and the HDP’s candidate Demirtaş—are running.

Erdoğan Looks for First-Round Knockout in Presidential Contest Kadri Gürsel suggests that Prime Minister Erdoğan will use all his power, including the AKP’s financial capacities as well as its influence on media, to win the first round in the presidential race on 10 August.

Demirtaş Looks beyond the "Kurdish Vote" Pınar Tremblay points out that although Demirtaş hails from the Kurdish movement, he embraces all underrepresented groups in Turkey.

Erdoğan’s Kurdish Predicament Cengiz Candar argues that Kurds in Turkey will have the final say in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan`s bid for the presidency.

Can Erdoğan Be Both President and Underdog? “Can you be an all-powerful president and the representative of all Turkish underdogs at the same time for very long?” Joost Lagendijk asks.

Will Erdoğan Be Able to Serve as President of All? Emre Uslu points out that although Erdoğan says that he is the prime minister of the entire population, at least half of the people see him as a burden.

The Draft Bill for the Resolution Process

Question Marks over Settlement Process  “Will the government carry out the process in a transparent manner or will it hide behind closed doors?” Cafer Solgun asks.

Looking at the Kurdish Issue from Diyarbakır (1)-(2) Seyfettin Gürsel discusses the main parameters of the solution to the Kurdish problem in the medium- and long-terms.

A Draft Bill on "You-Know-What" Güven Sak accuses the draft bill entitled “Draft Bill for Ending Terror and Strengthening Social Cohesion” of not naming names.

Law, Light, Kurds, and Whiners… Ali Bayramoğlu gives credit to the draft bill, since it would pave the way for a stable solution.

Turkey in the Equation of Kurdish Problem and the Middle East According to Atilla Yayla, beyond being Turkey’s internal issue, the Kurdish problem is an issue that concerns powers in the region.

A Critical Step in the Reconciliation Process Markar Esayan defines the draft bill “a revolution which has been undertaken by Erdoğan and AKP.”

Parliament Recognizes PKK as Legal Partner Emre Uslu suggests that the draft bill recognizes the PKK as the legal representative of the Kurds in negotiations, as well as providing immunity to Kurdish bureaucrats and politicians, including Abdullah Öcalan.

Kemalism`s Biggest Victims Come Together Commenting on the draft bill, Hatem Ete argues that Kurds and religious Muslims, the biggest victims of the Kemalist nation-building project, have come together to democratize Turkey.

Iraq and the Kurdish Question

Kurdish Politics on Rise Inside and Outside Turkey Murat Yetkin argues that Kurdish politics are key to both Turkey’s foreign policy in the Middle East, but also on the domestic scene.

Meanwhile, as Iraq Is Disintegrating… Barçın Yinanç argues that having a Kurdish buffer zone will not be enough to save Turkey from the fallout of the disintegration of Iraq.

Mosul to ISIL, Kirkuk to Barzani According to Serkan Demirtaş, the instability in Mosul and Kirkuk makes Turkey and its citizens the most vulnerable to these developments.

The Name of the New Front: Turkish-Kurdish-Sunni İbrahim Karagül argues that Iraq’s integrity no longer seems possible.

Iraqi Turkmen Feel Abandoned by Turkey (1)-(2) Claiming that Turkey has given priority to its relations with the Kurdish Regional Government at their expense, Iraqi Turkmen have moved to create their own armed militia, Fehim Taştekin reports.

The Worst-Case Iraq Scenario for Turkey “What will be the reaction of Ankara if the Kurdish Regional Government declares independence?” Yahya Bostan asks.  

Would Turkey Accept a Kurdish State? Semih İdiz argues that Turkey is losing its historical resistance to the idea of an independent Kurdish state.

ISIS Raises Flag at Turkish Border After declaring it had formed the caliphate of all Muslims and changing its name, ISIS raised its flag in the Syrian town of Tell Abyad just across the Turkish border, Tülin Daloğlu reports.

As Baghdad Rumbles, Kurdistan Takes Shape Orhan Miroğlu argues that as Iraq’s disintegration becomes more likely, the KRG would declare independence.

Living in Denial, and Falling Short Yavuz Baydar examines the AKP’s draft bill for the resolution process in the light of presidential elections and the possibility of an independent Kurdish state in Iraq.

We Breathe the Same Air as Turkey Mahmur Övür reports that after the calls for a referendum over the independence of Kirkuk and the KRG, Kirkuk is already is a de facto part of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Disavowing Kurdish Independence, Turkey Prepares for Kurdish Energy Future According to Michael Tanchum, the AKP’s deepening relationship with the KRG would make Turkey a global energy hub.

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