[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.]
English
Kobane, ISIS, and Protests in Turkey
Petition: Officially Arm the People`s Protection Unit (YPG) of Syria to Defend ISIS from Destroying the Kobane Community A petition on the official US government website calling for the armament of YPG forces by the US.
Turkey to Train Syrian Rebels, But at What Cost? Fehim Taştekin argues that by training forces for the war against ISIS, Turkey will experience a “Pakistanization.”
Turkey Decides to Hit Kurdish Rebels Instead of ISIS Piotr Zalewski’s report on airstrikes targeted at PKK forces by the Turkish government.
Unmasking Turkey`s ISIL Strategy James Denselow purports that attempts at involving Turkey in saving Kobane requires a thorough understanding of its international politics and strategy.
Syrian War Changes Turkish Border Towns Tülin Daloğlu reports from towns near the Syrian border, talking to locals about ISIS recruitment in the area, Kobane, and Syrian refugees.
Kobane and Turkey’s Energy Ambitions Barçın Yinanç discusses the relation between Turkey’s stance toward Kobane and its economic policy regarding energy investments.
How to Defeat Islamic State`s War Machine Metin Turcan lists the factors that contribute to the military efficiency of ISIS, and a possible way to combat it.
Turkey Opens First Case against Oil Smuggling with Syria Tulin Daloğlu reports about the first oil smuggling case with Syria, hinting at the lack of state control on the border.
Setting US and Turkish Priorities Straight According to Mustafa Aydın, the US and Turkey have different priorities on Iraq and Syria, and therefore differences regarding their attitude toward ISIS.
Erdoğan Twangs Populist Chords Again Semih İdiz criticizes Erdoğan’s remarks about the US-led coalition against ISIS as “less than diplomatic” and populist.
Does PM Davutoğlu Remember What He Told al-Assad in 2011? İsmet Berkan points out the contradictory attitude regarding both public dissent and the justice system in Turkey.
Turkey`s Passive-Aggressive Inaction in Kobani is Anti-Kurd, Anti-Peace Politics. And It`s Dangerous Mutlu Cıvıroğlu scrutinizes Turkey’s reluctant attitude towards Kobane.
ISIL, Kurds, and Turkey’s "New Deal" According to Nuray Mert, Turkey’s domestic and international politics should be read in the light of the “broader regional ambitions” of the rulers rather than the realities.
Why Does the US Want the Bases? Abdulkadir Selvi details Turkey’s priorities regarding Syria and Iraq, and points to the discrepancies between the expectations of the US and Turkey, which has recently surfaced during official talks between the two governments.
A Secure Zone Beril Dedeoğlu discusses the potential implications of a security zone proposed by the Turkish government.
There Is No Scenario Where Turkey Comes Out a Winner Lale Kemal finds the Turkish government’s role in the fight against ISIS concerning.
The War Nerd: Nobody Could Have Predicted Islamic State’s Retreat from Kobane (Except Me) In a speculative blog piece, Gary Brecher discusses the reasons why Kobane did not fall.
The Results of the Kobane War; So Far... Amed Dicle looks at the military dimensions and international response to the ISIS siege in Kobane within the context of Turkey`s ambivalent response to the violence.
Asya Abdullah: Kobane Corridor Is Essential In an interview, the co-president of the PYD, Asya Abdullah, addresses some misconceptions about the on-the-ground situation in Kobane, calling for the opening of a corridor.
Saleh Moslem: Turkey Has Not Kept Its Promise In an interview, PYD co-chair Saleh Moslem describes the situation in Kobane and claims that Turkey’s complacency is aiding and abetting ISIS.
Erdoğan Furious with the US, Adds al-Assad Condition Dissatisfied with the communication between the US government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), President Erdoğan has added another condition for Turkey’s participation in the fight against ISIS: addressing the Assad regime, which he sees as the source of the problem.
Who Benefited Most from the Rise of ISIS? Mahmut Övür argues that Turkey has suffered most from the rise of ISIS, speculating that it is another attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the government.
Security Bill
Draft Security Bill Could Give Turkish Police Sweeping Powers The AKP proposed a new law after forty-three people died in clashes following a series of nationwide demonstrations sparked by the unfolding situation in Kobane.
Pent-up Pressure in Turkey Abdullah Bozkurt points out that the bill submitted by the AKP that will give emergency powers to police and government-designed tribunals is in fact a witch-hunt targeting any opposition asking for social justice and a corruption-free and accountable government.
Democracy for Sale Emre Uslu explains the AKP’s bill, which envisages drastic changes in the Turkish Penal Code and the Code on Criminal Procedure entails.
A Conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister Verda Özer’s interview with Yalçın Akdoğan regarding Kobane, anti-protest security measures, and the peace process.
The Government Is Preparing for a Huge Witch Hunt According to Orhan Kemal Cengiz, the new legislation is a planned as an attack against the Gülen movement, aiming to damage the movement on economic grounds by allowing the seizure of private property at any stage of a judicial process.
New Law to Permit Turkish Police to Detain "Possible" Protesters The Turkish government plans to a pass a regulation that strongly limits the right to protest, even before protesting happens.
The "Kurdish Question" and the Peace and Reconciliation Process
Continuing on the Path Without Falling into the Trap (1)-(2) Markar Esayan argues that for the peace process to continue, the government should increase the opportunities for communication between Öcalan and Kandil and the HDP.
Government and Kurds Raise the Stakes in Peace Game Özgür Korkmaz argues that after the PKK’s call for “serhildan” (rebellion in Kurdish), and Erdoğan’s equating the PKK with ISIS, the stakes are now higher in the peace process.
As West Dances with Kurds, Conditions Shift According to Orhan Miroğlu, the presence of ISIS in Kurdistan is changing the entire global view on the Kurdish question and creating a legitimate arena for the Kurdish movement.
Kobane, Kurds, and Peace According to Ibrahim Kalin, claims that Turkey is attacking Kurds rather than ISIS are misleading.
Foreign Policy: UN Vote
Turkey, EU Adopting a New Language Serkan Demirtas analyzes the discursive shift in Turkey’s relationship with the EU since the formation of the new government under Ahmet Davutoğlu.
In Third Round of Voting, Turkey Loses UNSC Seat to Spain After lobbying for a temporary seat on the Security Council, Turkey, a heavy favorite, lost to Spain.
Why Did Turkey Lose in the UN Vote? Murat Yetkin argues that, among other things, the main reason why Turkey lost the vote for the seat on the UN Security Council was its contentious involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, and other Islamic groups.
Turkish Foreign Policy in Fall Ünal Çeviköz examines Turkey’s loss of the UN Security Council seat in light of the recent quagmires of Turkish foreign policy, both in the West and in the Islamic world.
Turkey`s Perception Gap According to Joost Lagendijk, the failure of Turkey’s defeat at the Security Council indicates a more fundamental “erosion of Turkey`s international standing” rooted in the polarization of Turkish politics and its frictious geopolitical stances.
UN Vote Shows the Intentions of Our Adversaries İlnur Çevik asserts that the vote at the UN is a larger effort to undermine Turkey’s credibility in the global community based on faulty information about Turkey’s approach to Kobane and the Kurds.
Was It Really a Surprise? Yusuf Kanlı claims that, given the restrictions on journalists and press freedom in Turkey, it is unsurprising for members of the UN to choose a different candidate for the Security Council.
What Do the UNSC Elections Mean? Analyzing the various reasons for Turkey’s loss of the UN Security Council seat, Kılıç Buğra Kanat claims that this loss ultimately benefits Turkish foreign policy, which he sees as having taken the moral high ground on contentious global issues like the conflict in Syria.
Economy
As US Economy Recovers, Turkey Falters Mehmet Çetingüleç shows how the rise of the value of the US dollar poses a threat to the economies of countries like Turkey.
The Army of the Unemployed Threatens Erdoğan Given the rise in unemployment and the stagnation of the economy, Emre Deliveli argues that the government’s reputation is beginning to tarnish among the people of Turkey.
The Effect of ISIL on Economic Balances Erdal Sağlam claims that ISIL is an obstacle for Turkey’s foreign economy and that the Kobane protests create a social fragility that threatens the national economy as well.
Unemployment Continues to Rise Seyfettin Gürsel sees Turkey’s stagnant growth and rising unemployment as an ominous obstacle for the AKP’s electoral goals for next year.
Global Slowdown, Turkey`s Divergence and the G20 According to Sadık Ünay, Turkey’s ascension as a global economy and its forthcoming presidency of the G20 in 2015 offer the Turkish government some positive economic options to preclude further stagnation.
Falling Oil Prices: Turkey and a New War on Sharing Cemil Ertem purports that the transformation of the global economic order has given Turkey a leg up in the western-dominated oil economy over other regional powers like Iran and Russia.
Sizzling or Cold Turkey? Emre Deliveli compares recent economic figures out of Turkey and the United States and asserts that any anomalies in the statistics are merely “normalization pains” in the continued economic growth of Turkey.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Turkish Image Abroad Slumps Pınar Tremblay argues that the Turkish government`s public diplomacy attempts continuously fail at improving the country’s public image in the international arena.
Turkey`s First "Gay Marriage" Semih İdiz tells the story of Turkey’s first unofficial gay marriage and the resultant reactions, which implicate the conditions that LGBTQ individuals experience in Turkey.
Turkish
Kobane and ISIS
Gezi-Kobanê kıyası olur mu? İrfan Aktan argues that Gezi and Kobane are incomparable, since Gezi was a riot grounded on constitutional rights, whereas Kobane is a resistance against an invasive armed group.
Türkiye halkının Kobanê’yi savunması için on sebep Emrah Altındış lists ten reasons for the Turkish nation to support and defend Kobane.
Kobanê’nin gözyaşları Relaying his observations from Kobane, Ferhat Tunç argues that the AKP has formulated its “New Turkey” through the barbarity of ISIS.
Soma ve Kobane’yi birlikte düşünmek Thinking the Soma mine massacre and Kobane together, Cihan Tuğal argues, “All in all, the producers of ‘cheap commodities’ who poison our rivers, destroy our history, kill our workers, have finally used ISIS to pull one over on us.”
Hükümet ve Kobanê tavrı Celalettin Can criticizes President Erdoğan’s equating the PKK/PYD with ISIS.
Kimse üç maymunu oynamasın: Türkiye göz göre göre hem içte hem dışta savaşa giriyor Arzu Yilmaz warns that Turkey is entering a war, both inside and outside its borders.
Kobani direnişi, barbarlığa karşı bir mücadele (1)-(2) Mete Çubukçu argues that the Kobane resistance is a struggle against barbarism.
Yeni Türkiye`nin Ortaçağ şiddetiyle imtihanı Nilgun Tunccan Ongan points out that the AKP does not attack ISIS, but rather attacks Kurds who are escaped from ISIS’ violence and students/protestors/fighters/doctors who went to the border to show solidarity with Kobane.
IŞİD ile PKK aynı şey mi? Criticizing the AKP’s equating the PKK with ISIS, Mehmet Altan argues that the AKP is an unprincipled and inconsistent government.
Kobane ruleti, patavatsiz Biden, kuskun Pire In an interview, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (KYB) politburo member Sadi Ahmet Pire criticizes Turkey’s role in the international coalition against ISIS.
Kürtler Kobani`de kaybederse Türkler kazanmış mı sayılacak? (1)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5) Rusen Cakir analyzes the relation between the AKP’s approach to Kobane, ISIS, and the Kurdish question.
Türkiye’nin Suriye’de eli hep uzundu Seda Altuğ argues that Turkey has been intervening in Syria’s politics since the 1920s.
Kobane Protests in Turkey / Declaration of State of Siege and Curfew
Kobane direnişi ile dayanışma kapsamında yapılan eylem ve etkinliklere müdahale sonucu meydana gelen hak ihlalleri raporu According to the Human Rights Association (IHD)’s report about the rights violations that took place during protests in solidarity with Kobane, forty-six people were killed between 2-12 October 2014.
Bir devlet alışkanlığı: provokasyon Çetin Yılmaz historicizes the state’s provocation attempts against non-Turkish and non-Sunni minorities, which crystallized again during street protests for Kobane.
Türkiye iç savaşa mı gidiyor? Cengiz Çandar argues that the AKP’s new “security law” in the wake of protests in solidarity with Kobane, as well its silent support for ISIS, is leading Turkey into a civil war.
Diyarbakır’da ‘fabrika ayarları’na, yani karanlığa dönüş Frederike Geerdink criticizes the government’s declaration of curfew in Diyarbakır as a response to protests in solidarity with Kobane.
Cezası hafif, bedeli ağır: Sokağa çıkma yasağı, diktatoryal bir yetkidir Criticizing the declaration of curfew, Ali Topuz argues that the government is killing its citizens.
Irkçının ve arsızın kutsal ‘bankamatik’ hakkı… “As a citizen, I am sick of your anxieties about `bus’ metal, sidewalk’s stone, ATM’s button.` It makes me nauseous that what you understand by ‘public’ is only its ‘property,’ not its ‘life,’” writes Murat Sevinc.
Memleketin fabrika ayarlarına dönüş Analyzing the media coverage of Kurds in the wake of Kobane, Emrah Göker argues that Turkey is turning back to the 1990’s “war on terror” rhetoric.
`Türkiye böylesine aciz ve yeteneksiz bir siyasi kadroyu iş başında görmedi` Cengiz Candar argues that the declaration of a state of siege and curfew are signals of the government’s loss of its ability to govern the country.
Kobane, the "Kurdish Question," and the Peace and Reconciliation Process
Çözüm sürecine dair bilmek istediğiniz her şey Umut Ozkirimli explains why Kobane affects the reconciliation and peace process in Turkey.
Sokaklar neden mi karışıyor? Bizi aptal yerine mi koyuyorsunuz? Umut Ozkirimli argues that what spurs violence and unrest in Turkey is the government’s suspension of the peace process, as well its continuing oppression of Kurds.
Kürtlerin isyanı, iktidar, HDP: Asıl mesele barış sürecindeki binbir çelişki Nuray Mert points out that Kobane has crystallized the contradictions in the peace and reconciliation process.
Çözüm yol haritasından değil demokrasiden geçiyor According to Murat Aksoy, the AKP wants a reconciliation grounded on patriarchy and religion-brotherhood, not on democratic rights, equality, and constitutional citizenship.
‘Kürt sokağı’ndaki gerçekler karartmayla değişmez! Hasan Cemal argues that the AKP is increasingly relying on a language of war, the rhetoric of a "war on terror," and police force.
Kobanê, Kürt sorununun kendisidir According to Bese Hozat, the AKP’s approach to Kobane is in fact a reflection of its approach to the Kurdish question.
Security Bill
Ne mutlu polisim diyene: Artık ‘akla’ değil ‘kafaları’na göre arama yapabilecekler! Ali Topuz unpacks what the new regulation will bring (for example, the incorporation of “reasonable doubt” into policing), and marks it as a significant authoritarian turn.
Farkında mısınız? Cengiz Çandar argues that by equating the PKK with ISIS and perceiving the issue as a national security concern, the president and the prime minister put the future of the country in jeopardy.
AK Parti’nin hedefi siyaseti sokağa itmek According to Murat Aksoy, by passing the new regulation, the AKP aims to push politics to the streets, delegitimizing political concerns and consolidating its power
Demokrasi ve Avrupa Birliği hedeflerinden çark etme reformu! Hasan Cemal presents the bill as a serious diversion from democracy.
Katalog suçlar genişletiliyor, telefon dinlemelerinde geriye takip yasallaşıyor Füsun Sarp Nebil details the content of the security bill and discusses its real-life implications.
Hukukçular yeni yargı paketini yorumladı: Bunları İsrail Filistinliler`e uyguluyor According to legal experts, the AKP uses its law-making power for its self-interest, and attempts to implement a de facto martial law in the country.
Polis Partisi! Ferdan Ergut demonstrates how discourses of “public order” and “preventive policing” are strategically used to strengthen authority by the police, and how the new regulation also serves the government’s current objective of controlling public dissent.
Other Pertinent Pieces
`Başörtülü kadın yazar`ın 12 yaşında baş örtme üzerine söyledikleri ve dahi söyleyemedikleridir! Fatma Barbarosoğlu discusses the meaning of the lifting of headscarf ban for minors.
İncirlik "Bilmecesinin" Tarihi Haluk Kalafat gives a summary of the socio-political history of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.
Published on Jadaliyya
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