Latest Articles about Turkey
Investigation Deepens Divisions Within Turkey
As Turkish police have been uncovering arms and ammunition buried deep beneath the ground in various places in Ankara, divisions within the Turkish political scene, the judiciary, and the intelligence services, as well as the politically powerful Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), have widened. The caches... MORE
Politicization in the Turkish Judiciary System Deepens
The Ergenekon investigation has sparked a controversy about whether the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is using public prosecutors to subdue the opposition. The debate about whether the judiciary system is being politicized resurfaced once again, after the most recent phase of the Ergenekon investigation... MORE
Can Egemen Bagis Revive Turkey’s Stalled EU Accession Process?
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan selected Istanbul parliamentary deputy Egemen Bagis as the new chief negotiator for Turkey’s membership negotiations with the European Union. Erdogan also moved the Secretariat General for EU Affairs (ABGS) from the Foreign Ministry to the Prime Minister’s office under Bagis,... MORE
Ergenekon Investigation Has Potential to Harm Civilian-Military Relations
On January 7 the investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine neo-nationalist criminal network that allegedly plotted to stage a military coup, resulted in a new wave of high-profile arrests in Sivas, Ankara, and Istanbul. The network reportedly has members from many segments of society, including military... MORE
“We Will Not Let Our People Go Cold,” Says Turkish Energy Minister
The dispute between Russia and Ukraine over natural gas prices continues to threaten the energy supply to Europe in the midst of plunging temperatures (EDM, January 5). The disruptions caused by the row between the Russian gas company Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftohaz has already led... MORE
Public Outrage Against Israeli Policies in Gaza Could Turn into Anti-Semitic Sentiment
As Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan increases his criticism of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza strip, the Turkish people are continuing to demonstrate against Israeli policies toward Palestinians. This time, the substance and size of the rallies are much different from previous anti-Israel rallies... MORE
Economic Crisis to Affect Turkish Defense Sector
Turkey’s top procurement officials have claimed that the current global economic crisis would not have an impact on Turkey’s relatively lucrative defense industry, but both Western and Turkish defense industrialists have forecast that the Turkish defense industry sector will feel the effects of the economic... MORE
Erdogan Searches for Diplomatic Response to Israeli Invasion of Gaza
Israel’s ongoing offensive against Gaza has generated waves of anger among the Turkish public and Turkish political elite. Paralleling mounting street demonstrations throughout Turkey are international attempts by the country’s leaders to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. The attacks came amid Turkey’s growing... MORE
Will Turkey See a Sunni-Alevi Confrontation in the Near Future?
On December 18 the Turkish media reported that the Kotku Mosque in the Uskudar district of Istanbul had become the city’s 12th mosque in 11 days to be set on fire (Anadolu Ajansi, December 18). It was the second case of arson at the mosque... MORE
Turkish Military in Need of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Turkey’s efforts since 2005 to purchase 10 Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) from Israel finally produced a result with the delivery of the first two Herons to Turkey in the first week of December; but because Turkey insists on mounting ASELSAN-made electro-optical payloads (ASELFLIR 300T),... MORE