Journalist-Writer
A total of 54 members of the U.S. Senate penned on Feb. 9 a vitriolic letter about Turkey to new President Joe Biden. At first glance, the letter looks like the “respect for human rights” letters previously written by senators to former U.S. presidents. In the letter, the senators ask the president of the United
Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has responded to the “new constitution” suggestion by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, saying that Turkey really needs a new charter but the new offer raises concerns about “strengthening authoritarianism in the country, not democracy.” “Dictators do not want a democratic constitution based on human rights,”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent remarks to the ambassadors of the European Union members that “Turkey’s future is in Europe” led to the optimism of revision in foreign politics. The president had opened the debate on Nov. 21, 2020, when he said “We project Turkey’s future in Europe.” He promised a rapprochement process that ranges
Former journalist and lawmaker Enis Berberoğlu was accused of both “terrorism” and “espionage.” The Constitutional Court says for a second time that he should return to parliament. The Presidential Government System is opposing. Both the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Constitutional Court say former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş should
Police played hard on Bogaziçi University students on Feb. 1 who were peacefully protesting the appointment of Melih Bulut as that rector, and raided the campus in the evening, contradicting with the new charter pledges in Ankara on the same day. According to the Istanbul Governor’s Office, police detained 159 protesters, 51 of them being
The Jan. 28 press briefing of Central Bank Gov. Naci Ağbal marked the agenda of politics in Ankara and the economy in Istanbul. The meeting was interpreted as complementary to the Jan. 26 written support by four major business organizations to the price stability policy announced by Ağbal. The press conference was interesting in two
“A person who put his party in this situation is showing a perfect example of dictatorship by silencing or expelling everyone who opposes.”Guess who used these words to criticize whom? No, it was not main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu criticizing President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) leader Tayyip Erdoğan and
As the Turkish government discusses reforms to tidy up the current mess but avoiding any political losses, what top officials say reminds of a “good cop, bad cop” analogy, rather than being contradicting statements. For example, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s statement that reforms will contribute to the positive atmosphere with the European Union is beyond
Joe Biden took office as the 46th president of the United States, at a ceremony a few hours after Donald Trump left the White House without attending the handover ceremony. Biden was calm and gave a calm speech, unlike the supporters of Trump who raided the Congress. Perhaps his sharpest expression was that he considered