[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
Kurdish Politics and Peace Process
They Once Said Mothers Should not Shed Tears (1) - (2) Cafer Solgun examines examines how the AKP turned against the Kurds when the Kurds refused to support the Erdoğan-backed presidential system.
Why Did Doves Turn into Hawks? Orhan Kemal Cengiz writes that Erdoğan and the AKP have thrust Turkey into a state of “full war,” evidenced by the daily killings across the country.
Erdoğan`s War İbrahim Türkmen frames the current unrest in Turkey using Erdoğan’s pre-election statements and shows the consequences of the turmoil on Turkish society and the economy.
Stop Creating Kurdish Autonomous Areas According to Joost Lagendijk, the declarations of Kurdish autonomy in a number of cities in Turkey is damaging the HDP’s electoral prospects in the early election.
Turkey Has Never Experienced Something Like This (1) - (2) Markar Esayan argues that the HDP and the PKK are part of a “coup coalition” that the forthcoming elections are attempting to remedy.
Weren’t You Saying the Resolution Process Should Be Ended? ‘Whom Is This Servicing?’ AKP Member of Parliament Yasin Aktay asserts that the “parallel structure” has aligned itself with the PKK as “sub-contractors” that are trying to undo the peace and reconciliation process.
A Kurdish Political Star in Turkey Confronts Escalating Violence Ceylan Yeğinsu profiles HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş in light of the resumption of the armed conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state.
Death of a Peace Process: Martial Law Returns to Turkey The International State Crime Initiative provides a brief history of the Kurdish conflict and the peace process to “show us just how fragile Turkey’s Kurdish reforms indeed are.”
Tell Them `Apo is Dead` Ahu Özyurt examines statements made by Abdullah Öcalan in 2013 that he would no longer participate in Kurdish politics if the ongoing peace process were to fail in light of the end of the ceasefire between the PKK and the government.
Is It a `War Coalition?` According to Nuray Mert, “The crucial question is why Kurds, too, are helping those who opt for war when their plans failed and why they decided to sacrifice their democratic success?”
Kurds Insist on Peace, But Don`t Keep Their Hopes Up Interviewing various individuals affected by state violence against the Kurds, Özgür Korkmaz laments the fact that another generation of Kurdish children have to grow up in a climate of violence.
Will AKP Push Öcalan onto the Stage? Emre Uslu appraises rumors that the AKP is having Abdullah Öcalan make a televised call for a renewed ceasefire and contemplates what that might mean for the upcoming election.
Turkey on the Brink of Something Very Ugly Indeed Amanda Paul argues that the AKP is “trying to de-legitimize the HDP as a democratic force” by trying to frame the HDP as responsible for the ongoing death and violence.
Elections
Erdoğan`s War Backfires According to Kadri Gürsel, the AKP deliberately initiated war with the PKK under the mistaken premise that it would garner the party votes in the early election.
Why Is AKP Insisting on an Election It Will not Win? Emre Uslu describes what he thinks will be the AKP’s electoral approach for the early elections in November.
Votes for the Left on the Rise? Mümtazer Türköne writes that the early election will see the most significant increase in votes for the CHP.
The AKP`s Nightmare: Going to Elections with the HDP (1) - (2) Murat Yetkin claims that the reelection government may be composed only of AKP and HDP members, since the CHP and MHP refused to participate in it.
Re-Election is the Only Way for Turkey Ozan Ceyhun asserts that the European public has been tricked into supporting the PKK in spite of its stance against terrorism more broadly.
Will the New Polls Change the Parliamentary Picture? (1) - (2) - (3) İlnur Çevik writes that the MHP and the HDP will lose votes in the next election “because the only thing either of them do is use terrorism as a tool for their political gains.”
İncirlik Deal on Brink of Collapse Yahya Bostan suggests that the HDP is opposed to the US-Turkey İncirlik Air Base authorization because it endangers the PKK and the PYD.
What Will Davutoğlu`s Strategy and HDP`s Attitude Be? According to Abdülkadir Selvi, since this is the first time a “caretaker government” has been constitutionally necessary, it is unclear how it will function.
It`s Easier to Break than to Make Something Semih İdiz argues that Erdoğan’s election plan “to scare people away from the HDP and back toward the AKP,” even if it is successful, will damage long-standing prospects for peace and stability in the country.
The Culture of Impunity and Reelections Barçın Yinanç connects the phenomenon of violence with impunity in Turkey to Erdoğan and the AKP’s behaviors since the election.
Erdoğan as De Facto President
Will Erdoğan`s Big Gamble Pay Off? Semih İdiz examines surveys that show Erdoğan’s ambitions in the early elections are very uncertain and may yield much the same results as the 7 June elections.
Orwell`s 1984 Comes to Life in Erdoğan`s 2015 Turkey Tülay Çetingüleç appraises Erdoğan’s call on muhtars, or elected community leaders, to act as government informants about “terrorists” in communities.
Erdoğan No Longer Credible Ali Yurttagül suggests that President Erdoğan has reneged on many of the promises that made him popular over the course of the 2000s, such as the Kurdish peace and reconciliation process, EU succession, and economic stability.
Legitimate Power Vacuum and Opposition Problem Bülent Keneş condemns the opposition parties for not speaking out more vocally against the extraordinary degree of state violence and corruption.
Erdoğan`s Year in Presidency Marks More Instability Serkan Demirtaş points out the irony that President Erdoğan has framed the early election as a choice between stability and instability when the past year of Erdoğan’s presidency has been marked by significant turmoil.
`Erdoğan Saved You from the Army, Who Will Save You from Erdoğan?` My Answer… Barçın Yinanç claims that Erdoğan’s ambitions will inevitably be the downfall of Erdoğan due to the already existing cracks in the AKP.
Why Is the AK Party Still Popular If It`s Authoritarian? Sevgi Akarçeşme suggests that the only viable political opposition to the AKP could emerge from the center right of the political spectrum.
Syria and ISIS
Is Erdoğan Afraid of Poking the IS Bear? Pınar Tremblay asks whether the AKP has anything to gain from the threats being made against Turkey and Erdoğan by the Islamic State.
Turkey and the Anti-ISIL Coalition According to Yaşar Yakış, the fight against ISIL may gain steam if Turkey and Saudi Arabia can work strategically together with the US.
The Real Reason Turkey Is Fighting ISIL Steven A. Cook speaks against the dominant media representations in the United States that frames Turkey’s participation in the anti-ISIL coalition.
Following Syrians, Iraqis Settle in Turkey Hasan Kanbolat examines the inefficiency of the Turkish government’s bureaucracy in handling the influx of refugees from Syria and Iraq.
America`s Dangerous Bargain with Turkey Eric S. Edelman writes that Turkey’s “sudden willingness to allow American access to the Incirlik base was driven by domestic political considerations, rather than a fundamental rethinking of its Syria strategy.”
Turkey Is Using ISIS as Cover for Its War Against Kurdish Activists Nathan Robinson profiles a number of survivors of the Suruç bombing to examine the consequences the bombing had on the Turkish government’s relationship to dissident politics.
AKP`s Syrian Priorities Remain Confused Semih İdiz claims that the US and Turkish governments do not see eye to eye regarding the priorities of the Syrian intervention.
Other Pertinent Pieces
The Loss of the Turkish Model Joost Lagendijk examines a recent report by a US-based think tank that tries to complicate the discourse of Turkey as a model democracy for other countries in the Middle East.
A Test by Water Cengiz Aktar attributes the disastrous flood in Hopa to the AKP’s destructive policies and overwrought infrastructural projects.
Turks Loved the Irish Boxer Orhan Kemal Cengiz tries to describe why a recent brawl between an Irish tourist and Turkish tradesmen became a social media phenomenon.
Turkey Sees 45 Percent Rise in Domestic Security Spending Gila Benmayor describes the rise in domestic security spending and comments upon the lack of transparency about where and how this spending is exactly taking place.
Seven People in Artvin Did not Die of a Natural Disaster According to İsmet Berkan, global climate change, in conjunction with the government’s actions along its rivers, were the cause of the flood in Hopa.
Turkish
Kurdish Politics and Peace Process
PKK stratejisiyle çelişiyor, HDP`yi `kapatıyor` (1) - (2) Ezgi Başaran argues that the PKK’s recent actions block the potential goals that the HDP’s civil politics can achieve, and worries that the PKK might start losing control over its autonomous youth organizations.
Şimdi vicdani ret zamanı Ercan Jan Aktaş, a member of the Conscientious Objection Association, states that this is an especially ripe time for citizens of Turkey to object to the compulsory military service to stop the war.
Erdoğan, oğlunu askere yolla! In his article which was censored by Radikal newspaper, Emrah Altındış writes about the rage of the families of soldiers who have lost their lives in recent clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces and the PKK.
“Ateş altındayız, sesimizi duyun” “We don’t have the right to keep our silence; to complain; to be tired, hopeless and angry, or to end the dialogue [between the respective parties] as people who live in the west of Turkey,” says Melike Koçak.
Kürt Sorunu / Pirsgreka Kurd Sezin Öney argues that the existing political parties and ideologies in Turkey have yet to come up with strategies for tackling the Kurdish question, which has been transformed majorly by global and local developments over the last decade.
Yarbay, AKP’nin başına Ecevit’in yazarkasasını fırlattı Erdem Yörük thinks that the protest by a lieutenant colonel, the brother of a Turkish soldier who died in the recently launched war against the PKK, against authorities’ use of Turkish nationalism is a major turning point for the future of the AKP and the country.
`Barış` deyince niye `teröre destek` anlıyorlar? Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu answers some of the biases held against those who voice the urgent need for peace.
`Bilmiyorduk` diyerek geçmişin tanıklığından kaçtınız, bugün de kaçabilecek misiniz? According to Nurcan Baysal, those who argue not to have known about the vast human rights violations Kurds were subjected to during the 1990s no longer have the same excuse and hold the responsibility to actively oppose war conditions.
Müzakere masasının bileşenleri çoğalmadıkça masa her zaman devrilir Çetin Çeko purports that the only way to increase the stability of peace negotiations in Turkey is to increase the number of political actors engaged in the talks.
Günün sorusu: Savaşı kim başlattı değil, kim sonlandırma cesareti gösterecek? Oya Baydar reverses the popularized question voiced in mainstream media outlets and asks who will have the courage to end the war, instead of determining who has started it.
PKK’nın cevap vermesi gereken sorular Levent Gültekin asks the executive cadre of the PKK why they decrease the influence and political capability of the HDP by ending the ceasefire with the state which, according to him, is of service only to the AKP’s election agenda.
Toplumsal infial sınırında bir ülke Sertaç Aktan confronts Erdoğan supporters with the question of how to sustain the status quo with all opposition being united around anti-war sentiments.
Türkiye seçimlere nasıl gidiyor? Fatih Polat argues that the only power against the increasing intensity of conflict is Turks and Kurds coming together to form coalitions against war, as in the example of the Peace Bloc.
Early/(Re)elections
Erken/tekrar seçim kumarı: Niye, ne olabilir? Fuat Keyman talks about the possible outcomes of the upcoming early elections, suggesting that the composition of the parliament will most likely be the same.
Davutoğlu`nun yerinde olmak isteyen var mı? According to Murat Yetkin, Davutoğlu has the difficult task of having to collaborate with HDP politicians in the interim government through the election campaign his party will pursue.
1 Kasım seçimlerinin ruhu: Aynı nehirde iki kez yıkanılmaz Necati Özkan thinks public relations tactics or election campaign strategies will not work for the early elections, and the results will largely be determined by each political party`s current positioning in relation to the country’s urgent issues.
1 Kasım`da olması gereken... (1) - (2) Cengiz Çandar talks about the dangers of going to elections in a war atmosphere, and suspects that the AKP might have worse results in the upcoming elections.
Diktatörün stratejik düşüşü Esra Arsan talks about the characteristics of a dictator.
Biriken öfkenin doğru kanala akması için According to A. Cihan Soylu, the process whereby Erdoğan and AKP cadres dilute the opposition against them by dividing the citizens along ethnic and religious lines should be reversed by channeling this rage into a unified struggle.
HDP`siz seçim, Kürt`süz seçmen According to Aydın Çubukçu, Erdoğan’s plans to win the elections are relocating the electorate with the excuse of “securing the safety of elections,” and jailing influential HDP politicians such as Selahattin Demirtaş.
Gerilim politikası kimi vuracak? (1) - (2) İhsan Çaralan states that the highly-charged atmosphere will be disadvantageous to the AKP in the elections, and the silent protest day on Diyarbakır streets is a precursor of such failure with the Kurdish electorate.
“Ona görev vermem” Murat Belge talks about Erdoğan’s reasoning behind the partial and illegal decision-making process he has engaged in his role as the President that has led to the recent decision for snap elections.
Environmental Catastrophes in Northern Turkey
Suyun toprak ve denizle bağını kestik, seller kaçınılmaz An interview with Oğuz Kürdoğlu and Vildan Özmen on the human-made causes of the flooding in Hopa, Artvin.
Hopa: Doğa için de barış ve cözüm süreci gerekir Geological engineer Sanver İsmailoğlu states that the flooding was caused by factors such as the cutting of forests for development, allowing construction in the overflow areas, and building roads and hydroelectric power plants in the region.
Hopa cinayetleri, katliamın habercisi Mustafa Alp Dağıstanlı states that in Hopa and the northeast region of the country environmental catastrophes will continue to happen with more drastic consequences unless construction of roads, dams and houses are lessened and done with proper planning.
Hayır sayın bakan, uyarıları dikkate alması gereken bizler değil, sizlersiniz Işın Eliçin criticizes the statement from Veysel Eroğlu, Minister of Environment and Forestry, regarding the flood, and holds him responsible for not taking precautionary steps against the disaster that claimed eight lives.
Milli irade Arif Nacaroğlu argues that the government has legitimized environmental degradation in the region with the development discourse.
İşte Yeşil Yol İrfan Bozan provides the interactive master map for the AKP’s massive investment project with thirty-eight tourism centers to be built in eight cities in the Black Sea region of northern Turkey, planned to follow the “Greed Road” project.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Roubini`nin Türkiye ekonomisti cevapladı: 2001`deki gibi bir kriz olacak mı? Ezgi Başaran’s interview with Mert Yıldız, Turkey expert at Roubini’s Global Economics center, on the rumours about an imminent crises in the Turkish economy.
Alevilerin Bir "Ali"si Olmalıydı (1) - (2) - (3) Zafer Yılmaz discusses the need for a redefinition of values and the sacred “Ali” to build a strong grassroots movement for Alevi rights in Turkey.
Serbest Bölge Projesi turizmdeki düşüşe çare mi? Orhan İçöz discusses whether the building of free zones will have any impact on the worsening tourism performance in Turkey.
Published on Jadaliyya
Ottomanism with a Greek Face: An Interview with Vangelis Kechriotis
`What Does the State Want from Dead Bodies?`: Suruç and the History of Unmournability
Ekin Wan’ın bedeninde ifşa olan devlet ya da kadınlar sıra bizde