On February 12, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak arrived in Ankara for a two-day visit to try to boost defense ties between the two countries, with the proposed sale of the Ofek (“Horizon”) spy satellite topping the agenda. Defense industry ties between Turkey and Israel... MORE

On February 11, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DPT) presented its initial defense in the case brought before the Turkish Constitutional Court calling for its closure. In its concluding arguments, the DPT warned that, by regarding the Kurdish issue as one of terrorism and using... MORE

On February 9, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), supported by the opposition ultranationalist Nationalist Action Party (MHP), amended the Turkish constitution in an attempt to create the legal framework for lifting the ban that currently prevents women wearing headscarves from attending university. The... MORE

Despite its failed attempt last year to prevent Abdullah Gul from being appointed president, the Turkish military remains the most trusted institution in the country, according to the latest Eurobarometer opinion poll conducted for the European Commission. On April 27, 2007, the Turkish General Staff... MORE

An angry confrontation outside the headquarters of the ultranationalist Nationalist Action Party (MHP) appears to have signaled the end of one of the longest platonic love affairs in Turkish politics. On February 5 the representatives of a number of associations representing retired military personnel attempted... MORE

The tragic events in eastern Anatolia in 1915 continue to roil not only Turkish-Armenian relations, but the international community and Turkish-American relations as well. For more than 25 years, Yerevan and the Armenian diaspora have lobbied to have the events in the wartime Ottoman Empire... MORE

On February 5 the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party (DTP) launched a campaign of mass public protests in an attempt to stop Turkish military operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) both inside Turkey and in northern Iraq. DTP supporters have started gathering in Diyarbakir, the largest... MORE

A recent statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has once again raised doubts about the government’s understanding of the requirements of Turkey’s EU accession process. On February 2, with the domestic agenda still dominated by the reactions of hard-line secularists to the attempts by... MORE

In recent weeks, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been heavily criticized for focusing almost exclusively on trying to lift the ban preventing women wearing headscarves from attending university and ignoring the growing number of problems facing the country – including a cooling... MORE

Even if it doesn’t overshadow Turkey to the extent that it did a decade ago, on January 30 the Turkish military demonstrated that it still has the ability to bring the country to a halt while hanging not just on its words, but even on... MORE