I first heard the phrase “Two states, one nation” from Abulfaz Elchibey. It was early 1992, just after Azerbaijan had declared independence from the Soviet Union. Elchibey was still officially banned from politics, but my colleagues Semih İdiz, Aziz Utkan, and I managed to interview him in a basement belonging to the Popular Front in
Israel is neither Libya nor Armenia, as President Erdoğan suggests, and Turkey is not Saddam’s Iraq, despite the unfortunate comparison made by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Understanding the increasingly tense and potentially dangerous dynamics between these two countries, which were once firmly aligned in this region, requires setting aside nonsense and adopting an action-oriented
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli’s recent visit to the Police Special Operations Department (PÖH) on July 15 was an evidence that the Turkish government has not learned anything from the July 15 2016 coup attempt. The reason lies behind a scene where Süleyman Karadeniz, Head of the Police Special Operations, welcomed Bahçeli at
Have you seen the 2010 short animation of Serge Avedikian called “Chienne d’histoire”? It tells the story of 80,000 stray dogs, forcibly rounded up and exiled to a remote island in Istanbul in 1910. The dogs died in a cruel manner with their cries echoing through Istanbul for days. The event known as “Hayırsızada Dog
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan faces “serious personal dangers” claimed opposition Gelecek (Future) Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu on July 12. During an interview with journalist Murat Sabuncu for the news site T24, Davutoğlu claims that there are “those within the state who think they are stronger than the state”. He said there is a danger of
Last week there were news reports about a possible meeting between President Tayyip Erdoğan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, where Erdoğan was present as a dialogue partner. His meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was of particular importance but Erdoğan met with leaders of a number of
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has launched a cabinet reshuffle in the wake of the March 31 elections, prompted by the resignations of Environment and Climate Change Minister Mehmet Özhaseki and Health Minister Fahrettin Koca. Prof. Dr. Kemal Memişoğlu, currently serving as Istanbul Provincial Health Director, was appointed as the new Health Minister. Murat Kurum,
I read on the Hürriyet newspaper’s website that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is working on a new communication strategy. To be honest, when I heard the term “communication strategy,” I briefly wondered if President Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP officials had finally decided to change their view of the media. Would the
A long, hot summer is ahead of Türkiye. I’m not just talking about the rising temperatures, and the even more severe ones predicted for later this summer due to climate change. We are also going to face a very heated agenda both domestically and globally. Hot debates: Constitutional Court decisions The recent delayed decisions of
Devlet means state in Turkish and “Devlet (State) will come to the head of the state!” was one of the most striking slogans of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) before Devlet Bahçeli moved from the opposition ranks to the AKP government ranks via the People’s Alliance, supporting President Tayyip Erdoğan. It’s no longer used, but