International Politics and Economy

By Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University | – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been reelected as president, ensuring that his term as leader of Turkey will extend to a quarter century. The electorate returned Erdoğan to power in a runoff vote on May 28, 2023, with 52% of votes. But with 48% of voters […]

Corruption

Free but unfair election: how Erdogan held onto Power in Turkey, and what this means for the Country’s Future

The Conversation

By Mehmet Ozalp, Charles Sturt University | – Recep Tayyib Erdogan will remain president of Turkey for another five years after winning Sunday’s run-off election over his long-time rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. If he serves the full five-year term, he will have held power for 26 years – almost the entire history of Turkey in the […]

Elections

Pro-Islam Turkish President Erdoğan Campaigned on Space Flight and New EV, but he Hasn’t Beaten Inflation

The Conversation

By Merve Sancak, Loughborough University | – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ruled Turkey for the last 21 years. In the first few terms of his rule, Turkey experienced significant economic growth and a reduction in inequality. This was widely believed to be a reason for Erdoğan’s long-term popularity. However, inflation hit a 24-year high […]

Elections

The 3.6 mn. Syrian Refugees in Turkiye now a Political Football between the Two Leading Candidates

Middle East Monitor

Gilbert Achkar ( Middle East Monitor ) – The Turkish election scene is truly disgusting, a scene in which the Syrian refugees have become a scapegoat and the subject of fierce bidding by various parties. Recent days have witnessed a peak in this regard, reflecting the outcome of the first round of the presidential elections […]

Drones

Military Drones are swarming the Skies of Ukraine and other Conflict Hot Spots – and Anything goes when it comes to International Law

The Conversation

By Tara Sonenshine, Tufts University | – Loud explosions rock the evening sky. Streaks of light appear like comets. Missiles rain down. Below, people scramble for cover. The injured are taken on stretchers – the dead, buried. That is daily life in Ukraine, where pilotless vehicles known as drones litter the sky in an endless […]

nationalism

Strong Showing for Erdogan sets up Turkish Run-Off Election for May 28

Arzu Geybullayeva

Written byArzu Geybullayeva ( Globalvoices.org ) – The results from the May 14 general elections in Turkey were a surprise for some, a disappointment for others, and for those who rallied behind President Erdoğan and his coalition, a victory. These elections also showed how the main opposition coalition underestimated the societal split and the priorities […]

Democracy

On its 75th birthday, Israel still can’t Agree on What it means to be a Jewish State and a Democracy

The Conversation

By Eran Kaplan, San Francisco State University | – As Israel celebrates the 75th anniversary of its founding, and nearly a century and a half after the first Zionists came to Palestine from Europe, the core tension behind the country’s establishment – whether a Jewish state could be a democratic state, whether Zionism could accommodate […]

Arms Sales

The U.S. Still Spends More on Its Military Than Over 144 Nations Combined

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Ashik Siddique | Originally published in National Priorities Project. ( Foreign Policy in Focus) – World military spending has reached a new record high of $2.24 trillion in 2022, according to new data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). That’s up 3.7% since the previous year, including the steepest increase among […]

Authoritarianism

Turkey’s presidential Election – how Erdoğan defied the Polls to head into Runoff as Favorite

The Conversation

By Salih Yasun, Indiana University | – Turkey is heading toward a presidential runoff election on May 28, 2023, after no candidate won more than half the votes in the first round – the barrier needed to be declared an outright winner. Incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has ruled the country for two decades, defied […]