Turkey Media Roundup (July 29)

[AKP campaign poster in Taksim Square from 2011: \"Istanbul is Ready, Target 2023.\" Image via Wikimedia Commons.] [AKP campaign poster in Taksim Square from 2011: \"Istanbul is Ready, Target 2023.\" Image via Wikimedia Commons.]

Turkey Media Roundup (July 29)

By : Turkey Page Media Roundup Editors

Presidential Elections

PM Erdoğan Dragging Turkey into Sectarian Fights: Kılıçdaroğlu (1)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5) Murat Yetkin analyzes the presidential candidacies of Erdoğan, İhsanoğlu, and Demirtaş.  

Erdoğan May Become President But Next Prime Minister Unclear Semih İdiz reports that uncertainty over who will succeed Erdoğan has caused disquiet in the AKP`s ranks.

The AK Party, the Constitution, and the Presidential Election Etyen Mahçupyan refutes the assertion that the AKP does not want a new constitution and it will pass a new constitution only to implement the presidential system.

If Erdoğan Wins Presidency, What Next? According to Henri Barkey, Erdoğan’s victory in the presidential elections could mark the rise of a one-man state.

The Day After the Presidential Election Yahya Bostan reports that it is estimated that Erdoğan will have fifty-two to fifty-three percent of the votes, while İhsanoğlu is estimated to have thirty-five percent and Demirtaş is estimated to have ten percent.

The ‘Politics of Friends and Enemies` Orhan Oğuz Gürbüz argues that Erdoğan’s presidential campaign relies on the “politics of friends and enemies” to polarize society.

Demirtaş: The Birth of New Politics… (1)-(2)-(3) Ali Bayramoğlu comments on the election campaigns and slogans of Demirtaş, İhsanoğlu, and Erdoğan.

“Parallel State” Operations against Police

Twenty Policemen Arrested, More Set Free amid Growing Protests, Criticism As part of a government-backed operation targeting the “parallel-state,” twenty police officers were arrested while more than one hundred police officers were detained.

Erdoğan`s Dirty Coalition Emre Uslu argues that the recent operation against the police was a witch hunt that targets the Gülen community and aims to threaten other religious communities in Turkey.

Who Calls the Political Shots? According to Ali Yurttagül, operations were not geared only toward shaping public perceptions about the bribery and corruption scandal; they also sought to take revenge for graft operations.

Justice System, Can You Hear Me? Lale Kemal complains about the lack of fair, transparent, and impartial trials in the wake of the corruption scandal and the arrest of police officers who have investigated the corruption scandal.

Erdoğan`s Police Purge Claims Former Allies Commenting on police operations, Mustafa Akyol argues that the police force is not the hunt for the “parallel state.”

A Propitious Investigation… Ali Bayramoğlu finds the operations very important as they fight against the arbitrary wiretappings of the “parallel structure.”

Gaza Crisis

Cease-Fire Initiatives Pit Turkey against Egypt Semih İdiz argues that the crisis in Gaza is seen to further fuel tensions between Turkey and Egypt.

Gaza Crisis Overshadows Soured US-Turkey Relations Cengiz Çandar argues that Turkey-US relations may have been overshadowed by the Gaza crisis but cannot be concealed.

Turkey in Talks with Israel, Egypt over Gaza Serkan Demirtaş emphasizes that although it accuses Israel of committing genocide and Egypt of tyranny, Turkey continues its diplomatic relations with both parties.

Hearts in Turkey are Beating for Palestine, But… According to Murat Yetkin, although Turkey has demonstrated the strongest reactions against Israel`s latest operations, Turkey’s moral support is not enough for Palestinians in Gaza.

Gaza and Mosul: Where Is the Connection? Was there a link between the kidnapping of the three Israeli boys one day after ISIL raided the Turkish Consulate General in Mosul? asks Murat Yetkin.

Iraq, Kurds, Regional Politics

Fleeing Atrocities, Iraqi Turkmens Turned Away at Turkey`s Border Tülin Daloğlu reports that Turkey did not open its borders to the Iraqi Turkmens after the seizure of Mosul while allowing entry to more than 1.5 million Syrians.

Shining Crescent Yusuf Kanlı criticizes Turkey’s foreign policies in the wake of the developments in Libya, Syria, and Iraq.

The End of Century-Long Mistake in Turkish-Kurdish Relations Yahya Bostan analyzes Barzani’s visit to Ankara under the light of ISIL’s attacks in Iraq and the Gaza crisis.

$8 Million: Too Little for Oil, Very Precious for Kurds Murat Yetkin reports that one purpose of Barzani’s visit to Ankara is to discuss the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government’s share of the oil money that was sold through Turkey without the consent of the central al-Maliki government in Baghdad.

A Conversation with Barzani’s Aide (1)-(2) Verda Özer finds a rapprochement betweeen the PKK and Barzani likely as the strategic interests of Arbil and Rojava fully overlap under the current developments.

No Monitoring of the ISIL Militants at the Most Crucial Time Yalçın Doğan criticizes the fact that no monitoring of the ISIL militants is possible due to the collapse of the wiring and tracking system at the Directorate of Telecommunication (TIB) in Turkey.

Other Pertinent Pieces

Turkey’s Syrian Refugee Problem Spirals out of Control Semih İdiz reports that Syrian refugees in Turkey are increasingly subjected to hostilities by locals.  

Turkey`s Rapid Museum Expansion Riada Asimoviç Akyol argues that Turkey`s tourism sector is being galvanized by a museum boom as the government invests in promoting its Ottoman heritage.

Turkey’s LGBT Fight Uphill but not Hopeless Battle Semih İdiz comments on this year’s Gay Pride in Istanbul and LGBT rights in Turkey.

Will Foreign Investment in Turkey Return to Pre-Crisis Levels? Mehmet Cetingüleç argues that foreign direct investment is expected to reach the pre-2008 crisis level of twenty billion dollars.

And Then There’s Cyprus Mustafa Akyol comments on the negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots on the fortieth anniversary of the “Cyprus Peace Operation”.

40 Years After Division, Future of Cyprus Still Unclear Barın Kayaoğlu reports that despite some positive diplomatic negotiations, the future is not yet rosy for Cyprus.

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Summer Readings from NEWTON

The New Texts Out Now (NEWTON) page has greatly expanded over the past year, in large part thanks to the recommendations and contributions from many of Jadaliyya’s readers. We would like to provide you with ample summer reading material by reminding you of several new texts that we have featured in recent months. This compilation of works spans a wide range of topics and disciplines by prominent authors in the field of Middle East studies.

We hope this list will be pedagogically useful for readers preparing syllabi for the fall semester, as well as those hoping to learn about new and unique perspectives on the region. To stay up to date with ongoing discussions by scholars and instructors in the field, check out Jadaliyya’s sister organization, Tadween Publishing.

Highlights

NEWTON in Focus: Thinking Through Gender and Sex

NEWTON in Focus: Egypt

NEWTON Author Nergis Ertürk Receives MLA First Book Prize

NEWTON 2012 in Review

This Year’s NEWTONs

New Texts Out Now: Mark Fathi Massoud, Law`s Fragile State: Colonial, Authoritarian, and Humanitarian Legacies in Sudan

New Texts Out Now: Ayça Çubukçu, The Responsibility to Protect: Libya and the Problem of Transnational Solidarity

New Texts Out Now: Louise Cainkar, Global Arab World Migrations and Diasporas

New Texts Out Now: Maya Mikdashi, What is Settler Colonialism? and Sherene Seikaly, Return to the Present

New Texts Out Now: Joel Beinin, Mixing, Separation, and Violence in Urban Spaces and the Rural Frontier in Palestine

New Texts Out Now: Wendy Pearlman, Emigration and the Resilience of Politics in Lebanon

New Texts Out Now: Simon Jackson, Diaspora Politics and Developmental Empire: The Syro-Lebanese at the League of Nations

New Texts Out Now: Charles Tripp, The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East

New Texts Out Now: Chouki El Hamel, Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam

New Texts Out Now: Adel Iskandar and Bassam Haddad, Mediating the Arab Uprisings

New Texts Out Now: David McMurray and Amanda Ufheil-Somers, The Arab Revolts

New Texts Out Now: Esam Al-Amin, The Arab Awakening Unveiled

New Texts Out Now: Rashid Khalidi, Brokers of Deceit: How the US Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East

New Texts Out Now: Vijay Prashad, The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South

New Texts Out Now: Paul Aarts and Francesco Cavatorta, Civil Society in Syria and Iran

New Texts Out Now: Amr Adly, State Reform and Development in the Middle East: Turkey and Egypt in the Post-Liberalization Era

New Texts Out Now: Rachel Beckles Willson, Orientalism and Musical Mission: Palestine and the West

New Texts Out Now: Ilana Feldman, The Challenge of Categories: UNRWA and the Definition of a "Palestine Refugee"

New Texts Out Now: Jeannie Sowers, Environmental Politics in Egypt: Activists, Experts, and the State

New Texts Out Now: Dina Rizk Khoury, Iraq in Wartime: Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance

New Texts Out Now: Na`eem Jeenah, Pretending Democracy: Israel, An Ethnocratic State

New Texts Out Now: Sally K. Gallagher, Making Do in Damascus

New Texts Out Now: Natalya Vince, Saintly Grandmothers: Youth Reception and Reinterpretation of the National Past in Contemporary Algeria

New Texts Out Now: January 2013 Back to School Edition

New Texts Out Now: John M. Willis, Unmaking North and South: Cartographies of the Yemeni Past, 1857-1934

New Texts Out Now: Paolo Gerbaudo, Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism

New Texts Out Now: Madawi Al-Rasheed, A Most Masculine State: Gender, Politics, and Religion in Saudi Arabia

New Texts Out Now: Noga Efrati, Women in Iraq: Past Meets Present

New Texts Out Now: Nicola Pratt, The Gender Logics of Resistance to the "War on Terror"

New Texts Out Now: Lisa Hajjar, Torture: A Sociology of Violence and Human Rights

New Texts Out Now: Orit Bashkin, New Babylonians: A History of Jews in Modern Iraq

New Texts Out Now: Marwan M. Kraidy, The Revolutionary Body Politic