[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 may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
English
Graft Crisis
Turkey’s Political Weather Forecast (1)-(2)-(3)-(4) Murat Yetkin criticizes Prime Minister Erdoğan’s use of international conspiracy theories to explain the graft investigations.
Tweeting in English Proves International Conspiracy! “A government cannot remain democratic once it leans on conspiracy theories to explain the world that surrounds it,” İhsan Dağı writes.
Pro-AKP Media Accuses Israel of Role in Turkish Corruption Scandal (1)-(2)-(3) Semih İdiz comments on the AKP’s allegations that there is a “dirty alliance” seeking to undermine Turkey’s success.
Cemaat Role in Turkey Scandal Nedim Sener, a journalist who was the victim of a plot by the Gülen Community, comments on the graft probe.
Hit by Scandal and Resignations, Turk PM Names New Ministers Reuters highlights recent developments in Turkey in relation to the graft probe.
Iran`s Turkish Gold Rush Foreign Policy points out that “at the center of Turkey`s corruption scandal is a ‘gas for gold’ scheme that the Obama administration dragged its feet on stopping.”
Turkey Rocked by Corruption Scandal Following the graft scandal, Deutsche Welle examines Erdoğan’s claim wanting that his government was the victim of a plot.
Turkey: Up From the Depths The Guardian, in its editorial, suggests that “the unseemly battle between the Hizmet movement and the AKP party paints a depressing picture of modern Turkish democracy.”
The End of the Turkish Model? Erdoğan’s Paranoia and Authoritarian Streak Threaten his Legacy Juan Cole’s piece on Erdoğan’s approach during the investigations.
Prime Minister`s Grip on Turkey Is Tested (1)-(2) Emre Peker summarizes the graft probe and the cabinet change.
Corruption Scandal Is Edging Near Turkish Premier Tim Arango writes that “the crisis strikes a sharp contrast to the image that Turkey has projected.”
Networks of Dispossession A collective data compiling and mapping on the relations of capital and power within urban transformation in Turkey.
Time to Heal and Repair (1)-(2) Doğu Ergil asks the AKP to respect the rule of law and not to portray the crisis as an international plot.
Who is the Winner? (1)-(2) Claiming that the Gülen community is not a political force, Mümtazer Türköne argues that it has already won this uneven battle.
No Way to Investigate Corruption Allegations (1)-(2) Orhan Kemal Cengiz criticizes the AKP’s interference with the police as well as its media censorship.
His Own Worst Enemy—Himself (1)-(2)-(3)-(4) Yavuz Baydar comments on the graft investigations and Erdoğan’s response.
PM Made the Wrong Choice (1)-(2) Seyfettin Gürsel argues that the AKP made the wrong decision by portraying the corruption allegations as an international plot against the government.
The Mother of All Wars (1)-(2) Mustafa Akyol summarizes what has happened in Turkey in the past ten days in relation to the graft probe and writes about “conspiratorial minds, authoritarian politics.”
Never Without Justice Ekrem Dumanlı criticizes the AKP’s interference with the judiciary and media censorship when it comes to corruption and bribery investigations.
Transparent Turkey (1)-(2) “This is the first time we are witnessing claims that there is a gang within the Cabinet,” Yusuf Kanlı writes.
Government Resign Mehveş Evin points to the double standard in the principle of the presumption of innocence.
Why Economists Are Not Surprised by the Graft Scandal Emre Deliveli argues that the graft scandal was somewhat predictable for anyone who has paid close attention to Turkey’s construction and real estate sectors, as well as its gold exports to Iran.
Turkey`s Gold Banking Facilitated Money Laundering Turkey has embraced gold banking as a means of paying Iran for oil in light of international sanctions, but this new form of banking has made money laundering much easier, Yaman Toruner writes.
We Haven`t Seen this Much Even in Coup Eras Cafer Solgun argues that Turkey is facing an era even worse than the coup years in terms of the rule of law and the judiciary’s independence.
Corruption Scandal Will Consolidate Turkish Democracy (1)-(2) “Erdoğan is compelled to realize that he can no longer sustain beating the war drums through elections,” Abdullah Bozkurt argues.
Overshadowing the Graft Probe (1)-(2) There are many similarities between the government’s response to the Gezi uprising and its response to the graft investigation, Lale Kemal writes.
Why is the US Being Drawn into the Game? Ali Aslan argues that the AKP government has involved foreign actors into the game in order to discredit the graft investigations.
Deepening Crisis “As the Turkish government clamps down on protesters and attempts to hinder the corruption probe, Turkey is plunging deeper into a crisis,” Nicole Pope writes.
Turkey Bans Media from Security Directorate Buildings Tülin Daloğlu says that the Interior Ministry banned journalists from entering the police center.
Suspects Change but Police Methods Never Change İsmet Berkan criticizes the methods that the police use in Turkey during investigations and detention.
The Neo-Tutelary Corruption! (1)-(2) “If Turkey witnesses that its politics have been saliently and overtly designed through this operation, what will be the fate of the country in the face of a new tutelary regime?” Taha Özhan asks.
The December 17 Process Hatem Ete comments on the investigations, specifically their political and legal aspects.
Test of Turkish Society (1)-(2) Markar Esayan claims that “corruption is a very serious problem but it is not our main problem.”
Corruption, EU, and AKP Cengiz Aktar analyzes the corruption investigations.
Is this Corruption Scandal Backed by the US? (1)-(2) Emre Uslu criticizes the AKP government’s conspiracy theories about the investigations.
I`m Ashamed Abdülhamit Bilici says his disappointment has turned into shame because the reverse of what would happen in a normal democracy is currently happening in his country.
Irrationality Rules Joost Lagendijk writes that “at the moment Turkey is ruled by a government driven by anger, unwilling to play by the book and unable to reflect on its own mistakes.”
Between Two Fires “It is getting difficult to defend a ruling party that seeks to rid itself of any supervision or auditing process and seems to be losing control,” Etyen Mahçupyan argues.
Ex-Soccer Player`s Resignation a Turning Point for the AKP Yasemin Çongar draws attention to the resignation of Istanbul Deputy Hakan Sukur, one of Turkey’s all-time best strikers and a Gülenist.
War in Rojava
Rojava: Syria`s Unknown War An introductory video on the war in Rojava.
Kurdish Groups Agree to Attend Geneva II Under United Banner The Syrian Kurdish groups have agreed to attend next month’s Geneva II conference under a united banner.
How al-Qaeda Changed the Syrian War Sarah Birke analyzes the Syrian civil war by focusing on al-Qaeda’s actions.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Turkish Academia and the Armenian Genocide (1)-(2) “Turkish newspapers have exposed attempts by official institutions to control academic research on the Armenian genocide,” Orhan Kemal Cengiz writes.
CHP’s Choice for Istanbul and Ankara Murat Yetkin comments on the CHP’s candidates for local elections.
Hard News for Turkey`s Journalists Selin Girit’s piece on media, censorship, and contemporary politics in Turkey.
Watch Out, the Azeri Energy Giant is Coming, Silently but Surely Barçın Yinanç draws attention to the final investment decision signed by backers of Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz II gas project.
Turkish
Graft Crisis
Hükümet, imtihanı birken iki yaptı, doğru mu yaptı? İsmet Berkan on the government’s response to the graft probes.
Körduman No doubt, corruption is a bad thing, yet the political atmosphere Erdoğan has created after the graft probe is worse, Murat Belge writes.
Medet ya komplo! If there were a conspiracy, suppressing the graft probe would not be the right way to disclose it, Fehim Taştekin emphasizes.
Topyekûn savaş Temel İskit points out that the government has hindered its legitimacy.
Allah`ım aklımızı koru (1)-(2) The government undermines Turkish democracy in its alleged attempt to save it, Doğu Ergil argues.
Siyasi cehennem… (1)-(2) Likening the graft crisis to “a political hell” and calling it “a state crisis,” Ali Bayramoğlu speculates on its impacts on Turkish democracy.
Şark Ekspresi`nde siyaset Referring to Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express, Nuray Mert labels the graft crisis as “a politics on the Orient Express.”
Sivil vesayetse eğer, Erdoğan’ınki sivil vesayetin Allahı’dır Allah’ı! (1)-(2) Hasan Cemal argues that if there exists something like a “civil tutelage,” then Erdoğan’s regime is the best example of it.
Hangisi Kazansa Türkiye Kaybeder (1)-(2) “Turkey will lose no matter who wins the battle,” Can Dündar argues.
Ya `Tek Adam` ya demokrasi… (1)-(2)-(3)-(4) Cengiz Çandar argues that Turks really need a ‘new’ Turkey—a country where governments will be fully accountable.
Yol bitti! This is the end of the road: either the government will detach itself from the "parallel organizations" or it will eventually surrender to them, Delil Karakoçan writes.
Kaostan çıkmak istiyorsan Öcalan’ı dinle! Delil Karakoçan also addresses Prime Minister Erdoğan: “You should listen to Öcalan if you want to overcome the chaos!”
Bu savaşta taraf tutmak zorunda mıyız? (1)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5)-(6) Examining the graft probe, Ruşen Çakır suggests not to take a stand on the crisis.
Demokrasiyi konuşmadan yolsuzlukları konuşmak mümkün mü? Erol Katırcıoğlu asks: “Is talking about corruption possible without talking about democracy?”
Tek yol demokrasi Nazan Üstündağ argues that democracy is the only way out of the graft crisis.
Kürt sorunu çözülmezse! Had the government solved the Kurdish question, it would not encounter such a political crisis, Adil Bayram argues.
Hükümete destek olalım mı? Ohannes Kılıçdağı asks whether we should support the government.
AKP giderse felaket olur! (1)-(2) As opposed to some liberals, Hayko Bağdat argues that it will not be a catastrophe if the AKP loses power.
Oynanan oyunu tribünden izlemek mümkün mü? (1)-(2)-(3)-(4)-(5) Mehmet Barlas considers the graft probe as a coup attempt.
Hukuk değil cephe savaşı Aslı Aydıntaşbaş discusses the recent develompents pertaining to the graft probe.
İkinci Susurluk mu? Mehmet Altan asks whether the graft probe is the second Susurluk of the Turkish Republic.
Cemaat ve hükümet mücadelesinin ihlâs ekonomisi A piece by Müahit Bilici
Rejimin çöküşü… Yetvart Danzikyan says the graft probe and the government’s response reflect “the collapse of the regime.”
Ellerinde nur mu var, topuz mu? (1)-(2) Yalçın Akdoğan, Erdoğan’s chief political advisor, claims that the Gülen community has plotted against its army, government, and intelligence services.
Tuzak, kuranın başında patlar Yalçın Akdoğan contends that “the intrigue will bring trouble on those who have plotted it.”
Ortada kuyu var, yandan geç stratejisi The government used the same strategy against the Gezi uprising, Ahmet Hakan remarks.
Büyük resim (1)-(2) Ali Bulaç looks at the big picture.
Hasar tespit raporu Fehmi Koru evaluates the impacts of the probe crisis.
Krizleri yönetmek zordur Mensur Akgü argues that it is hard to manage crises.
Devlet krizinin derin dalgalarında (1)-(2)-(3)-(4) Oral Çalışlar holds jurisdiction responsible for the political crisis.
Organize işler (1)-(2)-(3) Abdülkadir Selvi defines the graft probe as a coup attempt against the elected government.
Küresel koalisyon MİLLİ İRADE’ye savaş açtı... Ama… Yiğit Bulut, one of Erdoğan`s political advisors, claims that a global collusion is working against the national will of the country.
Hükümete değil ülkeye savaş açıldı “The graft probe is a war not only against the AKP government but also the Turkish state,” İbrahim Karagül propounds.
Banknotun kıblesi Yıldırım Türker writes about “the qibla of banknotes.”
Yolsuzluk operasyonu seçmen tavrına nasıl yansır, oyları ne etkiler? Bekir Ağırdır analyzes how the graft probe will affect political choices in the forthcoming local elections.
Herkes çok şaşırabilir At the end of the local elections “everybody may be puzzled,” Etyen Mahçupyan contends.
Roboski (Uludere) Massacre
Başbakan’ın günah galerisi ve Roboski Ayhan Bilgen compares and contrasts Erdoğan’s responses to the graft probe and the Roboski massacre.
Roboskili aileler: Biz katili biliyoruz, bütün dünya duyacak The families of victims of the Roboski (Uludere) massacre spoke with Firat News Agency on the second anniversary of the massacre.
Herkesin bildiği sır: Uludere Şafak Pavey, a CHP deputy, writes that the Uludere massacre is a secret that everybody knows.
Roboski’den geriye kalan… Aysel Tuğluk, an independent Kurdish deputy, explains what has remained from the Roboski massacre.
Roboski: Kucağımızda iki yıldır yanan boşluk Ali Topuz argues that the Roboski massacre is a matter that has remained unaddressed since 2011.
Roboski, siyaset, toplum... Alper Görmüş suggests that we still do not know the real perpetrators of the Roboski even two years after the massacre.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Türkiye solunun son şansı The People’s Democracy Party (HDP) is the leftist movement’s last chance, Ragıp Zaraolu argues.
Maraş Biberi Sırrı Süreyya Önder, the HDP deputy and candidate for İstanbul mayor, writes about the Maraş Massacre that occured on 24 December 1978.
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