A week in the shadow of Taksim — by Erik-Jan Zürcher
That is Turkey’s best bet, because, impressive and emotional as the demonstrations are, they are the expression of the feelings of a minority in this country of 76 million: the young, urban, well-educated middle class. They are enraged, they are frustrated, they are articulate – but they have no political strength. Even with the support of important social groups like the Alevis, organized labour, the bar association and the Kurdish opposition, they probably cannot force out the government. Any speculation that this wave of protest spells the end of Tayyip Erdoğan as political leader are premature. He may be an authoritarian and intolerant leader, but his record of stable and rather able government and high economic growth has given him a loyal following. There is little doubt that his party can win the municipal elections in 2014 and the next general election as well.
Armenia-Turkey: the end of rapprochement by Vicken Cheterian
A diplomatic process designed to normalise relations between Armenia and Turkey led to the signing of two protocols in 2009. Its failure is rooted in the miscalculations of both sides, says Vicken Cheterian.
FP: How Iran really sees Turkey
Tehran initially viewed the rise of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey with much enthusiasm. It has turned into a nightmare. Turkey’s shift against the Assad regime in Syria, and its manifest ideological appeal in a changing Middle East, now has Iranian leaders viewing Ankara as a key part of a U.S. scheme with the Arab States in the Persian Gulf aimed directly at them.
NATO missile shield must not be aimed at Iran: Turkey
A planned Europe-wide ballistic missile shield for NATO must not be aimed at Iran and there appears to be agreement on this point, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Friday before … Շարունակել կարդալ
Turkey’s challenge to Old Europe
Mr Gul insists his country’s European ambition is undimmed by such sentiments. The Islamist AKP government has lately turned eastwards, fixing some troubled relationships with near neighbours and claiming a role as a powerful regional actor. It has fallen out with Israel and voted against United Nations sanctions on Iran. Ahmet Davutoglu, its hyperactive foreign minister, sometimes sounds a little too keen for western tastes on a new Ottoman Caliphate.
To the president’s mind, there is nothing here that subtracts from the aim of joining the EU. He says this is an ambition transcending politics in Ankara at any given moment. Turkey is taking a strategic view – looking 20, 30, even 50 years ahead.
11-Month Prison Sentence for ‘Gul is Armenian’ Comment
The fact that the Turkish President went to court for the “insult” of being called an Armenian demonstrates, according to human rights activists, the extent to which Armenians are vilified in Turkey.
Turkish army chiefs boycott ceremony over Islamic headscarf
ANKARA — Turkish army chiefs boycotted an official ceremony at the presidential palace because the president’s wife wore an Islamic headscarf, the press reported Saturday. The army’s top brass were … Շարունակել կարդալ
Արարատից այն կողմ 