NOTE: Due to the Turkish government’s censorship of media outlets affiliated with Kurdish and leftist movements, Jadaliyya was unable to access a number of newspapers that are regularly included in the media roundup.
[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
Suicide Bombing in Suruç
Ankara to Escalate Anti-ISIL Measures Murat Yetkin examines the Turkish government’s response to the Suruç massacre as it shows an evolution of the AKP’s approach to ISIS.
Turkey`s Enemies at Work in the Suruç Blast (1) - (2) Speculating about who is responsible for the Suruç suicide bombing, İlnur Çevik criticizes the HDP for suggesting that the government and ISIS have been in cooperation, which “only create[s] anger and feelings of alienation among the Turkish masses and make[s] life more difficult for Kurds in Turkey.”
The Assault that Challenges Turkey According to Nagehan Alçı, ISIS is attempting to generate tension among Kurdish groups in order to produce the conditions for a civil war in Turkey.
Criticizing Selahattin Demirtaş Abdülkadir Selvi suggests that the HDP, alongside the KCK, was trying to foment armed resistance using the Suruç massacre as a justification.
Is the Government Responsible for the ISIL Attack? Arguing that the Turkish government’s crackdown on ISIS is too little too late, Orhan Kemal Cengiz calls upon Davutoğlu to allow for independent investigation of allegations that the government has been supporting ISIS.
The Suruç Massacre is Condemnation Enough (1) - (2) Cafer Solgun writes that “ISIL is the product of the Middle East and Syria policy of Erdoğan and the AKP.”
A Dreadful Wakeup Call for Turkey Attributing the rise of ISIS and Islamic fundamentalism to the AKP’s imposition of Islamist values on the country, Semih İdiz asserts that religion should be sent back to the private sphere.
Kurdish Opposition Figures Denounce Ankara Officials as `Accomplices` of IS after Suruç Bombing Fehim Taştekin examines how different political parties have responded to the Suruç massacre, particularly in light of the fact that the Turkish police had received intelligence regarding suicide bombers who were dispatched from Syria to Turkey.
A Plot against the AK Party and Turkey According to Etyen Mahçupyan, the suicide bombing in Suruç is part of an attempt “to hamper the reconciliation process with efforts to strengthen the relations between the Kurdish political movement and the left-wing.”
The Islamic State`s Secret Recruiting Ground in Turkey Mahmut Bozarslan explores why it might not be mere coincidence that the Suruç suicide bomber and the Diyarbakır suicide bomber are both from the Turkish city of Adıyaman.
A Deep Security Gap over Local ISIL Members Comparing the Diyarbakır suicide bombing with the Suruç suicide bombing, İsmet Berkan writes that there are legal limitations to the state’s ability to stop ISIS members who are Turkish citizens.
Turkey-ISIS Connection and AKP’s “War on Terror”
Turkey in Deep Trouble Mustafa Akyol suggests that “ISIL may have penetrated Turkish society in a level that the government does not want to acknowledge.”
Escalation of Tension on Turkish-Syrian Border (1) - (2) Murat Yetkin writes about the Turkish government’s military operations against both ISIS and the PKK, which are further complicated by the fact that the coalition government has still not been formed.
Sealing off the Syrian Border, Better Late than Never… (1) - (2) According to İlnur Çevik, the Turkish government is taking measures to protect Turkey’s Kurds from ISIS.
Is Turkey in War? Verda Özer argues that the Turkish government will try to maintain “active defense” in its military operations and asserts that ground operations in Syria are not part of the government’s agenda.
Davutoğlu vs. Davutoğlu Emre Kızılkaya compares Davutoğlu’s positions as Foreign Minister with his positions as Prime Minister to show that his blunders have caused security weakness in Turkey.
And Now Turkey Declares War on ISIL Serkan Demirtaş describes the government’s justification for its military actions, which see the PKK, DHKP-C, and ISIS as working in a coordinated “terrorist bloc.”
ISIS, PKK and the Uses of Terrorism Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın argues that the PKK and the HDP have undermined the peace process, justifying the government’s joint military operations against ISIS and the PKK.
Preventive Military Operations of Turkey against Terrorism Kılıç Buğra Kanat praises the Turkish government for cracking down on ISIS in the wake of the Suruç massacre, and calls upon international coalition forces to help develop a more long-term strategy.
Humdrum at the Turkish Frontier Tulu Gümüştekin writes that taking down ISIS and restoring order to the “no-man’s land” it occupies is the first step to taking down the Assad regime.
Erdoğan`s Masterful Plan According to Ömer Taşpınar, the Suruç massacre allowed Erdoğan to repair relations with the US as well as to recuperate the AKP’s place in domestic politics.
Turkey Drawn into Vortex of Violence Mahmut Bozarslan interviews various experts on Kurdish politics about how recent events may have irrevocably damaged the peace and reconciliation process.
Kurdish Politics and Peace and Reconciliation Process
Ankara`s Response to Forest Fires Ignites Kurdish Anger According to villagers interviewed by Mahmut Bozarslan, the government intentionally set fires across the Kurdistan region in order to limit the PKK’s mobility and operations.
Kurds Push back against Charges of Ethnic Cleansing Verda Özer provides a firsthand account of the political situation in Northern Syria, which casts doubt on the Turkish government’s claim that Kurdish forces have been conducting ethnic cleansing of Arab and Turkmen populations.
The Kurdish Question: Between a Rock and a Hard Place İhsan Aktaş argues that insinuations about the cooperation between ISIS and the Turkish government opened “a deep wound” between Turks and Kurds.
Why Was the Cease-Fire Broken? Emre Uslu claims that the AKP broke the cease-fire in order to foment the Turkish population against Kurdish political representation as well as to shirk responsibility to the military for anything that might go wrong.
Early Election Debates and Coalition Scenarios
A Win-Win Situation in Turkey Etyen Mahçupyan asserts that “the only way to form a stable government without holding early elections is for the AK Party and the Republican People`s Party (CHP) to reach an agreement to form a coalition.”
Economic Policy of a Potential Coalition According to Seyfettin Gürsel, the “loose fiscal policy” developed by the CHP during its election campaign may not be accepted by the AKP, damaging prospects for an AKP-CHP coalition.
A Coalition or an Early Election? Orhan Kemal Cengiz argues that there is not a unanimous stance within the AKP as to whether a coalition or an early election is a more desirable option.
Turkish
Suicide Bombing in Suruç
Soran olursa, oyuncaklarıyla beraber ölüme giden sosyalist gençlerdi dersiniz Three hundred young people, mostly university students associated with the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations on their way to support the reconstruction of Kobani, were attacked during a press briefing in Suruç; thirty-two of them were killed and 104 were wounded.
Türkiye İran olmayacak… Suriye oluyor! Criticizing the government’s complicity in the Suruç Massacre, Umut Özkırımlı writes that Turkey is already separated, not because of the Kurdish movement, but because of those who are against the peace process and rights of the Kurds.
‘Orada Gezi’yle Rojava’nın kucaklaşmasının intikamı alındı!’ In an interview, HDP member Özgür Eski, who survived the Suruç Massacre, says that right after the bomb explosion the police attacked those who were trying to help injured people.
Suruç: Provokasyon değil, savaş “The massacre in Suruç is not a provocation, which means a ‘dark’ provoking in order to manipulate political developments in this or that direction; it is a clear, explicit, and ‘transparent’—if you wish—war act,” writes Foti Benlisoy.
Birlik beraberlik içinde olalım, iyi güzel de, sorumluluk kimin olacak? Hasan Cemal criticizes the AKP government for trying to whitewash its responsibility in the Suruç Massacre, and explains that it is closely related to the AKP’s mistaken policies in Syria and its close relationships with ISIS.
Bugün `ortak tavır` çağrısı yapan Davutoğlu, dün Kılıçdaroğlu`nun Kobanê önerisine ne demişti? Doğan Akın reminds us of the Syria-bound trucks carrying weapons as a clear example of the AKP government’s support for ISIS and thus its complicity in the Suruç Massacre.
İyi değilim, iyi olmayacağım, iyi olmayın lütfen! “I’m not well. I will not be well. Don’t be well!” tweeted Loren Elva, a survivor of the bomb attack in the town of Suruç, on the Turkey-Syria border.
Suruç’un düşündürdükleri Erol Katırcıoğlu writes that the Suruç Massacre looks like the continuation of the bomb attack in the city of Diyarbakır during the HDP’s election meeting, which ended up in the death of four people and hundreds of injuries.
Suruç’ta iki el ve Davutoğlu’nun IŞİD’le mücadele şartı “The main aim of Suruç Massacre was to ‘break down’ Turkish youth who have the dignity to support the reconstruction of Kobane, where Kurdish girls and boys defeated ISIS,” writes İrfan Aktan.
Katliamın sorumlusu kim Hayko Bağdat sees the AKP government as responsible not only for the Suruç Massacre but for the "unidentified" murder of Hrant Dink, murders of Kurdish children and youth, the murder of Ali İsmail Korkmaz during Gezi Park protests, the murder of fourteen-year-old Berkin Elvan by police, and so on.
Suruç mektubu According to Ali Duran Topuz, the reason for the Suruç Massacre is not “lack of security” but, on the contrary, “excess of security”: “military, police, intelligentsia, and proxy fighters are too much.”
İktidar sorumluluk ve özeleştiri demektir, pişkinlik ve kurnazlık değil Hakan Aksay calls on the government to be accountable and to acknowledge its responsibility in the Suruç Massacre as well as the Roboski Massacre, bomb attacks in Reyhanlı and Diyarbakır, and others.
Memleketteki IŞİD “sevgisi”: Sadece vicdansızlık mı? Foti Benlisoy argues that ISIS plays into “fears of Turkish nationalists” by provoking their “anti-Kurdish sensitivities” and that it explains why some people in Turkey shared their happiness on social media about the Suruç Massacre.
32 güzel çocuğun kanının yerde kalmaması için… Cengiz Çandar calls on the AKP government to “recognize ISIS as Turkey’s number one domestic and foreign security threat.”
Suruç`taki o bahçenin gençleri size bir şey söyledi (1)-(2)-(3) Naming some of ISIS’ militants, connections, and activities in Turkey, Ezgi Başaran argues that the next bomb attack could be just around the corner unless Turkey’s police and intelligentias fights with ISIS.
Sorun sadece IŞİD değil ki… “ISIS is not the only problem. Mujahid groups that Turkey supports in Syria are not that different from ISIS. The AKP government must immediately leave its Syrian policy, which carried the civil war in Syria to Turkey,” writes Murat Yetkin.
Katliamın amacı ne? Metin Yeğin suggests that it is not enough to blame ISIS for the Suruç Massacre, since it is an attack also supported and used by the Turkish government, as well as fascist groups in Turkey, aiming at defeating socialists, leftists, and Kurds.
Suruç katliamı niye oldu? Şahin Alpay argues that Turkey’s security requires collaboration and solidarity with Kurds and that it can never be maintained with “PYD is more dangerous than ISIS,” unlike what the AKP suggests.
Suruç katliamının failleri Accusing the AKP of a role in the Suruç bombing, Mehmet Kamış suggests that terror has become a governmental method in Turkey.
Yılanın başı ezilmedikçe katliamlar sürecek According to Fehim Isik, Suruc is a milestone for Turkey as to whether it will continue treating ISIS as its ally or it will collaborate with Kurds and Turkey’s leftists and write a new history.
Roboski’den Suruç’a! Şeyhmus Diken shows the parallels between the Roboski Massacre and Suruç Massacre in terms of the state’s involvement in the death of civilians.
Suruç’un gözleri ve devlet yükümlülükleri Hüsnü Öndül emphasizes the state’s neglect in taking preventive measures before the Suruç bombing, as well as in identifying and punishing the perpetrators.
Suruç Katliamı “faili meçhul” olmasın According to Yahya Adil, the Suruç bombing resembles “unidentified murders” of Kurds by the Turkish state and Hizbollah—a paramilitary group—in the 1990s.
Suruç’ta kesişen hayatlar Yüksel Genç shares stories of the members of a volunteer team, who work for healing injured people in Suruç.
IŞİD: Reyhanlı, Niğde, Diyarbakır ve Suruç Ayça Söylemez examines the connections between the Reyhanlı, Niğde, Diyarbakır, and Suruç attacks.
Utanç duyuyorum (1)-(2) Hayko Bağdat writes about the”embarrassment” he feels after the Suruc Massacre because of state violence, people’s support for ISIS on social media, and attacks on the graveyards and funerals of the Suruç Massacre victims, as well as his own complicity in this bombing as a citizen of Turkey.
IŞİD, yakında Akçakale’den Tel Abyad’a saldırırsa hiç de sürpriz olmaz! Amberin Zaman writes that it would not be surprising if ISIS launches attacks on Tel Abyad, which is now under the control of Kurds, from within Turkey’s borders.
(IŞ)İD savaşı topraklarımıza taşıdı (1)-(2) Ruşen Çakır argues that ISIS moved the war to Turkey and that although Turkey will be harmed by this war, it is likely that the HDP and the Kurds will be the ones who will suffer most through this process.
Turkey-ISIS Connection and AKP’s “War on Terror”
Savaşa girmek ya da IŞİD-Türkiye ilişkisi Oral Çalışlar points out that the US wants Turkey to carry out the actual ground war against ISIS in Syria whereas the US itself would support the operation with air strikes.
TSK ile IŞİD neden çatıştı? Erhan Keleşoğlu analyzes the Turkish military’s recent operations against ISIS in Syria, as well as Turkey’s permission to the US to use Turkey’s base to launch strikes against ISIS.
IŞİD, ABD Ve AKP’ye Dair Muhtelif Galat-I Meşhur Foti Benlisoy writes about ISIS, the US, and the AKP government in the wake of Erdoğan-Obama meeting where they decided to fight against ISIS together.
Artık dönüş yok Joost Lagendjik reports that on Friday Turkish military forces attacked ISIS positions, and at the same Turkish police launched an anti-terror operation against and arrested hundreds of people, among which there were ISIS militants as well.
İktidar IŞİD`i destekliyor mu? (1)-(2) “Does the government support ISIS?” and “Does ISIS support the government?” asks Mümtazer Türköne.
IŞİD için Türkiye artık kullanışlı değil (1)-(2) Lale Kemal writes that “Turkey is no longer useful for ISIS” and argues that Turkey should find a way to make peace with the Kurds as soon as possible.
Yeter artık! Hangi teröre karşı hangi ortaklık? Oya Baydar writes that Prime Minister Davutoğlu’s statement that he is “against all kinds of terror” intentionally did not name “ISIS terror,” whereas he blames “Kurdish terror” on all occasions.
Bahane: Terörle mücadele; Amaç: 7 Haziran`ın rövanşı Cengiz Çandar writes that the AKP is attacking leftists and Kurdish groups in the name of fighting with ISIS, and the main aim of this so-called war on terror is to criminalize the PKK and to marginalize the HDP in order to drag Turkey into early elections.
Silah ve şiddet konuşmaya başlayınca… Commenting on mass police operations carried out in big cities and the escalating violence, Hasan Cemal says that he feels like Turkey is in another period of violence provoked and triggered by the state.
Kurdish Politics and Peace and Reconciliation Process
AKP suçüstü yakalanmıştır Hüseyin Ali points out that the AKP did not support democratic groups in Syria due to its hatred against Kurds, but now, especially after ISIS’ bomb attack in Suruc, it is in a desperate situation, trying to stall the much-needed peace and resolution process.
IŞİD’in elini güçlendirmek, barışın değil savaşın değirmenine su taşımak! Hasan Cemal argues that the PKK’s killing of two police officers as a way to “take revenge” for the Suruc Massacre in fact strengthens ISIS’ hand and paves the way for war.
Tehlikeli tırmanış Murat Yetkin writes that both ISIS and the PKK have increased the violence and tension in Turkey.
Başka bir emriniz? Çağlar Ezikoğlu argues that Kurdish movement is neither homogenous nor monolithic, and that there are conflicts and dichotomies between the HDP and KCK.
Barışmanın zorlukları (1)-(2) According to Murat Belge, President Erdoğan is the biggest obstacle before the success of the peace process which ironically he himself started.
PKK ateşkesi sonlandırabilir mi? Rusen Cakir argues that if Turkey decides to ally with the US in its fight against ISIS, the US’ support for Kurds and the PKK will automatically decrease.
Early Election Debates and Coalition Scenarios
Suruç saldırısı: IŞİD`in savaş ilanı Serkan Demirtaş suggests that the bomb attack in Suruc is ISIS’ declaration of war against Turkey, and that the last thing Turkey should do under these conditions is to call a new election.
Erken seçim, kan gölü demektir! (1)-(2) Hasan Cemal argues that an early election will be “a blood bath” and that only an AKP-CHP coalition, which would be supported by the HDP, would lead Turkey into normalization and democratization.
Suruç acısı: Sivil topluma ve siyasetçilere son çağrı Murat Somer argues that the pain and sorrow of Suruc shows that an AKP-CHP coalition government agreeing on the least common denominators is a must.
İkinci turda AKP, CHP ve Erdoğan cepheleri Murat Yetkin analyzes the AKP-CHP coalition from the perspectives of Prime Minister Davutoğlu, President Erdoğan, and CHP leader Kilicdaroğlu.
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