Journalist-Writer
About ten years ago, caricatures of “Sultan Erdoğan” were popular in the Western European press. President Tayyip Erdoğan, who was trying to pull the Turkish Republic into the orbit of Russia and Iran with a neo-Ottoman and political Islamist policy, was seen as the antithesis of the West. The antipathy was so strong that, during
A debate over Rare Earth Elements (REEs) continues between Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan and the main opposition CHP leader Özgür Özel. The issue entered the domestic political agenda of Türkiye following Erdoğan’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on September 25, 2025. Özel accuses Erdoğan of “selling off” rich Turkish REE
On October 13, Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan signed a Declaration of Intent in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, alongside U.S. President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, pledging a commitment to “joint implementation.” The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—achieved with Trump’s assertive involvement on behalf of the
A few hours after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared a war against the “new anti-Semitism” while trying to hold back tears at the Reichenbachstrasse Synagogue in Munich on September 16, world-renowned Turkish pianist and composer Fazıl Say made a clear statement on what is meant by this “new anti-Semitism” definition. Say, who has experienced the
On September 15, while domestic attention in Türkiye was focused on the CHP’s “absolute nullity” case, U.S. President Donald Trump received Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his delegation at the White House. The Patriarch’s itinerary for September 16 included a breakfast at the Turkish Embassy, a luncheon at the Greek Embassy, and a dinner
The Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance postponed the hearing in the case seeking to declare the 2023 Congress, where the Turkish main opposition CHP delegates elected Özgür Özel instead of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, “absolutely null and void” until October 24. It is reported that the judge wants to see the results of the
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio poured fuel on the fire with his remarks at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Israel following the Qatar operation. According to Rubio, efforts to recognize the State of Palestine were “emboldening Hamas”. Rubio who was already emboldening Netanyahu’s expansionist aggression with this visit
Among the political destruction scenarios discussed in Ankara, the most dangerous one for the future of Türkiye’s political life is as follows: • The precedent of dismissing the İstanbul Provincial Chairmanship is applied to the case for canceling the 2023 Congress of the main opposition CHP when delegates choose Özgür Özel to replace Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu
The removal of CHP İstanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and his administration from office by court order and the appointment of Gürsel Tekin, a former CHP Secretary General, as trustee not only disrupted the CHP but also stirred up politics and the relationship between politics and the judiciary. CHP leader Özgür Özel declared that they
The photos taken during Erdoğan’s meeting with Putin at the Shanghai Summit reveal a lot about Turkey-Russia relations and, beyond that, East-West relations. (Photos: Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) I obtained the photos from the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Telegram page. They are from the meeting between President Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin on