Turkey

The Turkish Press reports that the IYI Party is suggesting that the government seize the country’s Trump Towers and nationalize it. The threat shows the opposite of the emoluments problem– Trump is liable to economic blackmail because he refused to put his wealth in a blind trust. Turks are angered because the Trump administration placed […]

Turkey

Turkey’s Erdogan Defies Trump over Sanctions Threat, Pastor, & Warns US Losing Ally

Raziye Akkoc

Ankara (AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the US in comments published Sunday that sanctions would not force Ankara to “step back” after Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey if a US pastor was not freed. “You cannot make Turkey take a step back with sanctions,” Erdogan said in his first comments since relations […]

Iran

Ankara to US: Your New Iran Sanctions Must not Hurt Turkey

AFP

Ankara (AFP) – Turkey on Friday hosted an American delegation for talks to address concerns about the potential negative impact on its economy of the looming reimposition of US sanctions against Iran. US President Donald Trump decided in May to abandon the 2015 deal agreed with other world powers on Iran’s nuclear programme and reimpose […]

Turkey

Top Five Foreign Policy Challenges Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan Faces in New Term

Fulya Ozerkan

Istanbul (AFP) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to take a tough line with the West on key foreign policy issues including the Syria conflict, Russian relations and migrants in his new term, but he may also show signs of compromise. Foreign policy will be immediately on the agenda after Erdogan’s inauguration Monday, as […]

Turkey

Is Turkey headed for Stongman Rule?

Arzu Geybullayeva

Ankara (GlobalVoices.org) – In the latest test of his leadership, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proved once more why he is Turkey’s most preeminent politician, and its most dominant leader since Mustafa Kemal Attaturk. Simply, he is prepared to do whatever it takes. The June 24 presidential election did not have to go to a second […]

Turkey

Turkey’s re-elected Erdogan, a Hybrid of Putin and Trump, will Change Mideast

The Conversation

By Mehmet Ozalp – (The Conversation) – Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the incumbent president and main political actor in Turkish politics for the last 16 years, has won yet another election with a majority vote of 52%. The election was held in the climate of a two-year state of emergency, Erdogan’s considerable weight on Turkish media, […]

Turkey

Five Reasons Why Erdogan Won Turkey’s Election

Stuart Williams

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a decisive victory in weekend elections, scuppering predictions that his popularity was on the wane after 15 years in power. Erdogan, 64, secured a new presidential term with enhanced powers in an outright first round victory against his main rival Muharrem Ince who failed to end […]

Featured

Warning to US: Erdogan has used same techniques as Trump to de-Democratize Turkey

Juan Cole

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, began his legitimate political career at the turn of this century with a push for more political pluralism in a Turkey that had long been dominated by an elite, secular military. Now that he has won another term, Erdogan’s rise as an authoritarian strong man is a key […]