[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
Will Erdoğan`s Presidency Firm up Turkey`s Regional Position? Semih İdiz argues that Turkey will suffer from regional policy mistakes during Erdoğan’s presidency.
A New Social Contract (1)-(2) According to Markar Esayan, Erdoğan has a progressive approach to developing a new social contract for Turkey.
Erdoğan`s Presidency: A Risky Gamble? Yüksel Sezgin suggests that Erdoğan’s presidency is a high-stake gamble for both Erdoğan himself and the AKP.
Elected to Leave Politics Kerim Balcı argues that Erdoğan is planning to turn Turkey’s parliamentary democracy into a presidential oligarchy.
The Presidential Election Suat Kınıklıoğlu addresses the possible impact of the presidential elections on Turkey’s fragile democracy.
Neither a Model, nor a Source of Inspiration According to Ali Yurttagül, Erdoğan is leaving his office by destroying economic prosperity and democratization.
Features of Turkish Authoritarianism Cengiz Aktar argues that following the presidential elections, Turkey might end up with a change of political regime that affects both domestic and regional policies.
Erdoğan`s Win is Democracy`s Loss Emre Uslu addresses that Turkey’s foreign and domestic policy, economy, and legal system descended into total chaos under Erdoğan’s rule.
A Tragic Farce: Unfair Election Coverage Yavuz Baydar criticizes the biased broadcasting of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), which has devoted most of its airtime to Erdoğan’s presidential campaign.
Must-See TV: Erdoğan`s New Campaign Movie Mustafa Akyol analyzes the new three-minute propaganda film Erdogan’s team launched, which casts Erdoğan as the embodiment of his nation and his victory as the victory of “the people.”
Erdoğan’s Presidential Rivals Fight for Airtime Semih İdiz reports that Erdoğan is accused of employing unfair advantages in his election campaign.
Could the Presidential Campaign be Good for Turkish Democracy? Cengiz Çandar reports that Nilüfer Göle sees having Ihsanoglu and Demirtas as two contenders against Erdoğan as a great gain for Turkey’s democracy.
What the New Survey Results Indicate Abdülkadir Selvi analyzes the poll conducted as a public opinion survey, which indicates that Erdoğan would get fifty-five percent of the votes, whereas İhsanoğlu gets thirty-six percent and Demirtas gets eight percent.
Prime Minister Erdoğan Discriminates, and It Works for Him Özgür Korkmaz reports that on 5 August, Erdoğan said “I beg your pardon, they called me uglier things, saying I was Armenian.”
Politics at Its Lowest Mustafa Akyol finds these presidential campaigns to be “the most vulgar, disrespectful, and hateful campaigns Turkey has ever seen.”
Operations against the Police, Eavesdropping, and the “Parallel State”
If You Do Not Stand Against Injustice Cafer Solgun reports that on 22 July, as part of the “parallel-state” operation, some police officers were accused of illegal wiretapping.
Illegal Eavesdropping and the Gülen Movement Yahya Bostan comments on the operation against illegal wiretappers with alleged ties to the Gülen movement.
Inside Turkey`s Wiretapped World Fehim Tastekin points out that 2,280 people’s phone calls were wiretapped as part of the probe into the so-called Tevhid-Selam Jerusalem Army.
The Gülen-Led War Against the State: A Multi-National Coup Plan İbrahim Karagül argues that the Gülen movement’s investigation files, illegal taping records, and technical tracking notes are part of a bigger coup plan.
Gülen-Led Group`s Short Political History in the Light of the Operations (1)-(2) Ali Bayramoğlu analyzes the Gülen-led group’s political history since the 1990s.
The Thousand Faces of the Gülenist Shadow State Commenting on the ongoing operations against the “parallel structure,” Melih Altıok examines the Gülen Movement that is often accused of attempting to form an autonomous shadow state.
“(No) Laughing”
Why Women Should not Laugh in Public Mustafa Akyol reports that Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said, “[A] woman must not laugh in public.”
The Condition of Women in Turkey Is no Laughing Matter Examining Turkey’s Human Development Index (HDI) rates, Güven Sak argues that the condition of women in Turkey is disgraceful and certainly no laughing matter.
No Laughing Matter: Social Media Mocks AKP’s Fight for Chastity Pınar Tremblay suggests that while an active minority reacts against the AKP’s selective conservatism, the majority remains quiet and submissive.
Why Turkish Women Will Be Laughing All the Way to the Election Alev Scott argues that if all the women in Turkey chose not to vote for Erdogan, he would lose resoundingly, and women would have the last laugh.
Syria, Iraq, The Islamic State (IS), and Regional Politics
Syrian Refugees Test Tolerance in Turkish Cities Tülin Daloğlu points out that the growing presence of Syrian refugees has stirred hostility in many of Turkey’s cities.
Syria’s War Has Started to Shake Turkey Badly Murat Yetkin argues that problems like the growing presence of IS, the fate of the Turkish captives at the hands of IS, and the increasing number of Syrian refugees are related to too much Turkish involvement in the civil war in Syria.
More Than 1,000 Turks Fighting for the Islamic Caliphate Given the considerable number of Turks fighting for ISIL, Serkan Demirtas argues that Turkey is facing the danger of a jihadist structure, both inside and outside.
High Time for Turkey Verda Özer argues that it is only Turkey and Qatar who could deal with the regional disputes as a mediators and regional leaders.
Will ISIL Attacks Unite Kurds? Orhan Miroglu points out that ISIL has attacked millions of Kurds, including Kurdish Yezidis in Sincar and recently in the UN-protected Maxmur camp.
Turkey Wakes up to Islamic State Threat Orhan Kemal Cengiz argues that Turkey has started to realize that the Islamic State has become a serious threat to its internal security and stability as well is its role in regional politics.
Anyone to Stop the Islamic State’s Terror? Murat Yetkin writes that Yazidis in Sincar, and Shiite Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmens of Iraq, are under heavy attacks by the IS, whereas the Turkey-origin PKK in Iraq and Syria fights against the IS.
Islamic State Urges Turkish Businessmen to Return to Iraq Turkey`s economy minister signaled that IS is prompting Turkish businessmen to return to Iraq and that Turkey’s trade with Israel remains unaffected despite the current crisis in Gaza, Mehmet Cetingüleç writes.
Gaza Crisis
Turkey, Qatar Seek Foothold in Gaza Talks Semih İdiz argues that Turkish and Qatari involvement in Gaza appears doomed to drown in controversy, rather than producing concrete results.
Erdoğan Uses Gaza as a Campaign Tool Tülin Daloğlu argues that although Israel’s attack on Gaza is a central theme in Erdoğan’s presidential campaign, Turkey remains passive in efforts to end the Israeli attacks.
Gazans Irritated as Turkey Focuses Only on Hamas Fehim Tastekin reports that some Gazans see Turkey as a supporter of Hamas,, not of Palestine and question Turkey’s sincerity.
Economy
Will US Court’s Argentina Verdict Impact Turkey? As Argentina recently declared bankruptcy, Mehmet Cetingüleç argues that it may set a risky precedent for high-debt countries like Turkey.
Turkish Stock Market Gains 40% in Six Months Mehmet Cetingüleç explains why the stock market in Turkey yielded large profits.
China and Turkey Suffer from Same Growth Malaise Emre Deliveli argues that both Turkey and China are on unsustainable growth paths.
Turkey`s Tourism Renaissance Mehmet Cetingüleç points out that the increasing number of tourists visiting Turkey has placed the country sixth among the world’s most popular destinations.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Turkish Spy Agency`s Image Makeover Pınar Tremblay points out that Turkey`s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) is repairing its image after after court proceedings revealed the agency`s role in high-profile political murders during the 1990s.
Turkey`s Twitter "Spies" Mustafa Akyol argues that the Erdoğan government and the Gülen Movement see each other as a proxy of a detested enemy: Israel or Iran.
The Cult of Erdoğan According to Kadri Gürsel, the AKP and its supporters have come to attribute quasi-divine qualities to Erdoğan, creating a personality cult that reinforces concerns over social peace in Turkey.
Lifestyles of Turkey`s New Conservative Elites Pınar Tremblay analyzes “New Turkey’s” upper-middle class of conservatives whose preferences in travel and other activities differ from traditional conservatives.
Turkish Women`s Informal Work—A Complex Story Riada Asimovic Akyol criticizes the increasing number of women who work informally and without social security.
From Town Squares to Twitter: Turkey`s Civil Rights Movement Emre Kızıllkaya comments on the growing digital activism in Turkey and applauds the emancipatory potential of social media.
Published on Jadaliyya
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