[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You can send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
English
Democratization Package
The Democracy Package: "Ungenerous" or "Unsuccessful"? Nuray Mert deems the “democracy package” “unsuccessful” rather than “ungenerous,” since it did not include minorities and other segments of society.
Is the AK Party Still a Democratizing Force? Regarding the package, İhsan Dağı writes: “the ruling party may no longer be a democratizing force, but it may become aware of the limits of its authoritarian inclinations.”
The Real Beneficiaries of Erdoğan`s Democracy Semih İdiz argues that the package has essentially lifted the restrictions imposed on devout Sunnis by previous secular governments.
Turkey is Changing Because… Cafer Solgun explores changes towards democratization in Turkish history and analyzes current politics and problems in light of the new package.
One Step Forward, One Step Back Nicole Pope comments on Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik`s complaints about a television presenter having an excessive amount of cleavage on display, and contrasts it to the AKP’s democratization claims.
Turkey Cracks Down on Cleavage Analyzing the Sledgehammer verdict, the Gezi protests, and Huseyin Celik`s complaints about the presenter’s cleavage, Marc Champion says, “in the old days the military and secularists abused the law to suppress Islamists; now the Islamists are returning the favor.”
How Are the Opponents of the Democratization Package Faring? Mümtazer Türköne claims that neither the left-wing nor the right-wing opposition could offer any criticism or suggestions to the democracy package, which goes beyond the government`s democratic stance.
Turkey Should Press Ahead with PKK Process Yavuz Baydar argues that Ankara’s package has disappointed the Kurds, but that should not slow the peace process.
Critical Steps for Mother Tongue “We need to find a humane way within the natural course of things so that people`s mother tongues are not banned,” says Ekrem Dumanlı.
The Supremacy of Turks Frederike Geerdink defines the changes that the “democratization package” brings to Kurdish people as “bread crumbs.”
Negotiating Democracy Joost Lagendijk says he does not understand the oppositional stance towards the package, especially regarding what it is offering in terms of the Kurdish question.
State of the Kurdish Question Doğu Ergil quotes The International Crisis Group’s (ICG) recently published report (No. 227, Oct. 7, 2013) titled “Crying ‘Wolf`: Why Turkish Fears Need Not Block Kurdish Reform.”
Changing the Election System May Open the Door to Presidential System Sedat Ergin analyzes the alternative electoral systems proposed by the “democratization package.”
Three Reasons Why Turkey Is So Polarized? Mustafa Akyol suggests a potential solution to polarization in Turkey in a new reconciliation between AKP elites and secular Kemalists.
Sledgehammer Trial
Turkish Court Confirms Military Coup Attempts Yavuz Baydar analyzes the “Sledgehammer case,” which is the first legal case in Turkish history against top ex-military officers accused of attempting to oust the government.
Sledgehammer Verdict Orhan Kemal Cengiz analyzes the decision of the Supreme Court on the Sledgehammer case, in which suspects were put on trial for plotting a coup.
Towards a Balance in Civil-Military Relations Lale Kemal argues that the Supreme Court`s decision on the case stands as an important step in establishing the superiority of civilian rule.
Digital Evidence Criteria in the Balyoz Verdict Sedat Ergin writes about the authenticity debates caused by the use of digital evidence in the Sledgehammer case.
Foreign Policy
Turkish Parliament`s Permit to Intervene in Syria Misguided Fehim Taştekin criticizes Turkey`s newly issued decision for military intervention in Syria by arguing that the Turkish parliament ignores the dangers posed by al-Qaeda.
Turkey Suspects Turkish Students Who Visited Iran of Espionage The detention of twenty-five Turkish students suspected to have been used for spying and propaganda activities reveals how tense Iran-Turkey relations actually have become, Tulin Daloglu writes.
Farewell from President Gul to the "Clash of Civilizations" Thesis Verda Özer comments on President Gul`s argument that a “clash within the Islamic civilization” due to ethnic and sectarian identity politics in the region would be more detrimental to all than a “clash of civilizations.”
Turkey`s New Enemy at the Gates Semih Idiz warns Turkey about Islamic radicals, especially in Syria.
Syrian Kurdish Leader Urges Turkey to End Support for Salafists Amberin Zaman comments on Saleh Muslim`s (co-chairman of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party) remarks on Turkey`s foreign policy towards Syria and Syrian Kurds.
Steering Turkey Through the Troubled Middle East Suat Kınıklıoğlu advocates for “a new strategic outlook and a concomitant reprioritization of Turkish foreign policy objectives in the Middle East.”
Turkish-Iranian Relations (of All Sorts) İhsan Yılmaz argues that Turkey and Iran do not have a reciprocally balanced relationship, as Turkey`s relation with Iran seems to be at Turkey`s expense.
Turkey Goes Ballistic for China Cengiz Candar finds it paradoxical that Turkey announced its preference for a Chinese-made long-range air and missile defense systems despite its alignment with NATO.
The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Turkey Gökhan Bacık makes a list of FAQs about Turkey, based on the comments he heard at various international meetings.
Gezi Uprisings
Specter of Gezi in Europe Etyen Mahcupyan criticizes the depiction of Gezi movements in the European media as another “Arab Spring.”
Economy
How Is the Turkish Economy Going? Seyfettin Gursel elaborates on the IMF`s latest economic assessment about Turkey`s economic policies.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Is There No Effective Opposition in Turkey? Murat Yetkin questions the widespread perception that there is no effective opposition in Turkey by analyzing the CHP`s parliamentary politics.
Party Affiliations, Strategic Voting, and Local Elections Bulent Kenes analyzes the voting behaviors of the public and the electoral strategies of the political parties before the March 2014 local elections.
CPT Report-2012 Report to the Turkish Government on the visit to Turkey carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)
Erdogan, Gulen Combat Islamophobia, Extremism Nagehan Alçı believes that Prime Minister Erdogan and Fethullah Gulen are leaders in promoting a moderate Islamic image to the world.
Turkish
Democratization Package
KCK: 3 talebimiz karşılanmazsa yeni bir mücadele dönemi başlayacak Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) announces a declaration in response to the AKP’s “democratization package.”
Kandil "Paket"i açtığı vakit… Cengiz Çandar comments on the KCK`s declaration.
Kürtçe sorunu, anadilde eğitim sorunu çözülmeden Kürt sorunu çözülmez! The Kurdish question cannot be solved until education in the mother tongue is totally allowed, emphasizes Hasan Cemal.
AKP’nin tercihi ve bir seçim oyunu... Bekledik... Umut ettik… Delil Karakoçan views the AKP’s “democratization package” as an election maneuver.
"Anadilde özel okul" neoliberal aklın bir sonucu Ezgi Başaran interviews Prof. Dr. Fatma Gök, who says confining education in the mother tongue to private schools is a fallacy rather than an inadequacy.
Demokrasiye fren paketi According to Adil Bayram, the AKP’s “democratization package” doesn’t pave the way for democracy, but rather hinders it.
"Çözüm süreci" paketlendi "ateşkes" tehlikededir Commenting on the “democratization package,” Veysi Sarısözen says the "settlement process" has wrapped up, and thus that the ceasefire is under threat.
Cumhuriyet’in Türklük çıkmazı Evaluating the “democratization package,” Ümit Kardaş argues that Turkishness is the cul de sac of the Turkish Republic.
"Türküm diye bağırtılan azınlık öğrencilerine her fırsatta Türk olmadıkları hatırlatıldı" Hilal Özvarış interviews Nurcan Kaya, a lawyer working on minority schools, in regard to the AKP’s package.
Askeri vesayet kalktı, Müslüman vesayeti geliyor Murat Belge argues that “military domination has passed away, nevertheless it yields to an İslamic one.”
Dünyayı Erdoğan üzerinden okumak Commenting on the “democratization package,” Mensur Akgün claims that “reading the world over Erdoğan” is a mistake.
CHP`leşen BDP… Yalçın Akdoğan, Erdoğan’s chief political advisor, criticizes the Peace and Democracy Party`s (BDP) reaction to the “democratization package,” and claims that the party has turned into the CHP.
Peki Alevilerle kim yüzleşecek? Murat Aksoy argues that those who want Alevis to face Kemalism should first face the Alevis themselves, that is, accept their difference and rights.
Cemevinin etrafından dolaşmak The AKP does not attempt to solve the cemevi question, but just plays around it, writes Eyüp Can.
Başbakan`ın önerdiği seçim sistemleri (1) - (2) - (3) Tarhan Erdem analyzes the electoral systems that Prime Minister Erdoğan suggested in his package.
Local Elections
Yerel seçimler sadece yerel seçim değildir The local elections to be held on 30 March 2014 will not be just local ones, underlines Bülent Korucu.
BDP ve HDP’nin tarihi misyonu Baki Gül draws attention to the “historical mission” the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and People`s Democratic Party (HDP) must shoulder.
HDP, BDP ve siyasette genişleme Ayhan Bilgen offers her suggestions to the BDP and HDP.
Solun bütünlüğü, ulusalcılık ve Kürt sorunu Dwelling on the coherence of the Leftist movement, Mustafa Sönmez criticizes Turkish nationalists on the Kurdish question.
Laik kesimin siyaseti Etyen Mahçupyan comments on the policies of secularist groups.
Gezi Uprising
"Gezi Olayı" ve "Solun Krizi" Ergil Yıldızoğlu writes on the “Gezi Event” and the crisis of the Leftist movement.
Gezi direnişinde iki tarz-ı siyaset In the Gezi uprising, two different yet complementary kinds of politics have emerged, Foti Benlisoy argues.
Foreign Policy
En önemli iç ve dış politika konusu İhsan Dağı contends that Syria is the most important question for both Turkey’s foreign and domestic policy.
Tehlikeli ilişkiler Temel İskit points to Turkey’s hazardous involvement in Syria, specifically with regards to Al Qaeda.
El Kaide "sahibi"ni vurur Mete Çubukçu warns the AKP that Al Qaeda always ends up harming its master.
Hatalı varsayımlar… Turkey’s Middle East policy is characterized by “false assumptions,” professes Cengiz Çandar.
Sledgehammer Trial
1908 geleneğinin sonu Hasan Bülent Kahraman labels the Sledgehammer trial as an end to the 1908 tradition.
"Muhafazakarların Devrimi" Commenting on the Sledgehammer trial and the democratization package, Nuray Mert says Turkey is experiencing a revolution, but a conservative one.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Erdoğan batı karşıtı mı? Yalçın Akdoğan, Erdoğan’s chief political advisor, advocates for his leader and claims he does not have anti-Western sentiments.
İslâmcılık ölebilir mi? Şükrü Hanioğlu asks the question “Could Islamism pass away?”
Published on Jadaliyya
Defending Future Commons: The Gezi Experience
New Texts Out Now: H. Erdem Cipa and Emine Fetvaci, Writing History at the Ottoman Court
Gezi Resistance, Police Violence, and Turkey’s Accession to the European Union
Baris surecinde gerekli olan ciddi bir hakikat ve telafi politikasi