[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
Armenian Genocide
Armenians Refocus on Reparations after Genocide Anniversary Kadri Gürsel describes efforts by the Armenian government to reestablish diplomatic ties with Turkey by calling for property restitution and reparations to descendants of those affected by the genocide.
The Armenian Question and Political Regime Etyen Mahçupyan argues that the AKP government should engage with the Armenian question in order to further consolidate its legitimacy and differentiate itself from past regimes.
Kurdish Politics and the Peace Process
Erdoğan`s Doubletalk on the Kurdish Issue Semih İdiz addresses Erdoğan and the AKP’s rhetoric about the Kurdish issue, which simultaneously wants to appear pro-Kurdish to keep religious Kurdish votes from going to the HDP, but also Turkish nationalist, in order to gain nationalist votes from the MHP.
Disarming the PKK: The Critical Stage in the Kurdish Issue İbrahim Kalın claims that the AKP’s top priorities in the Kurdish problem are “economic justice, identity-related grievances and security” in the process of disarming the PKK.
Reconciliation Process Is to Progress with People (1) - (2) Markar Esayan suggests that the PKK and the HDP are actively trying to hinder the peace process, against the will of the Turkish public.
Why They Are Scared of Erdoğan According to Abdülkadir Selvi, the HDP are “Kurdish Kemalists” who have “the Kenan Evren mentality” because of their supposed opposition to religion.
Will Erdoğan`s Backtracking Torpedo PKK Disarmament? Fehim Taştekin describes how the AKP government’s refusal to engage with Öcalan’s ten points for peace, along with its bombastic rhetoric, caused the PKK to cancel its “disarmament congress.”
June Elections
That Money Belongs to the Entire Nation Mehmet Y. Yılmaz condemns President Erdoğan for using taxpayer funds to campaign for the AKP and for violating the constitutional limitations on the presidency, which require the president to remain politically impartial.
Shaking Hands with the New Turkey Markar Esayan suggests that the AKP will win the election and usher in a new Turkey, in spite of the “parallel structure” that is working through the opposition parties against them.
The Unshareable Alevis Taha Özhan claims that the HDP and CHP have fragmented the Alevis as a voter block, and encourages Alevis to vote for the AKP in order to gain a public voice for their concerns.
Turkish Voters Want New Charter, But Not a Presidential System (1) - (2) Murat Yetkin examines public opinion polls that suggest the Turkish public wants a new constitution but not a new presidential system.
A Parliament With or Without HDP? Ali Bayramoğlu raises concerns about the HDP’s commitment to democratic politics, suggesting that it may act as an instrument of the PKK if it surpasses the election threshold and enters parliament.
Erdoğan Spins Kurdish Quran as Political Tool Tülay Çetingüleç explores the controversies surrounding a government-published edition of the Quran in Kurdish and its timing in the last weeks of the election season.
Will the HDP Cross the Threshold? Ahmet Hakan argues that the HDP is on the “knife-edge” of the election threshold, and suggests that press freedom and the Alevi question will be the key factors in its success or failure.
Foreign Policy
Turkish Military Puts Breaks on Syrian Intervention Metin Gürcan addresses rumors that the Turkish military might intervene in Syria as part of an election ploy, suggesting instead that it is far more likely that the military will get involved in Mosul after the elections.
Turkey Seems Reluctant on Turkish Stream Deal with Russia According to Serkan Demirtaş, the energy agreement made between Turkey and Russia in December appears to have faltered as a result of tensions between the two countries and pressure from the West.
Is Turkey Sending Troops to Syria? Verda Özer writes about how regional agreements involving Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, along with actors like the US, are gridlocking the decision of whether or not to establish a safe zone in Syria.
Turkish
Kurdish Politics and the Peace Process
Önder: `Anketleri görünce masayı devirdiler` (1)-(2) HDP deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder argues that public surveys predict the AKP’s votes to be between thirty-eight percent and forty-two percent, that imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan expects HDP’s votes to be around twelve percent, and that the AKP retreated from the peace and negotiation process in order to secure its votes in the upcoming elections.
Ve PKK ile tarihi fırsat kaçıyor Ezgi Başaran argues that the Turkish state “missed a historical opportunity,” because the PKK recently announced that it will not hold a disarmament congress at least before elections due to the fact that the AKP government opened cracks in the peace process due to its interests in upcoming elections.
Öcalan, Mandela... Erdoğan, Botha… Hasan Cemal draws parallels between the peace processes in South Africa and Turkey, arguing that the President Erdoğan has turned into Botha, who hindered the peace process in South Africa.
Bir varız, bir yokuz… Nurcan Baysal criticizes President Erdoğan for again denying the Kurdish question, and that this time he even went on to argue that “Using the term ‘Kurdish question’ is discrimination.”
AKP’nin çıkmazı According to Bese Hozat, President Erdoğan has arrived at a dead-end, given that he started to repeat elsewhere that “There is no Kurdish question” as the 7 June elections approach.
Yeni bir politik döneme girilmiştir Ömer Ağın writes that the AKP finished the peace process because the HDP’s success poses a threat to the AKP.
June Elections
Erdoğan seçim adaletine gölge düşürüyor Murat Yetkin writes that according to the Constitution, President Erdoğan has to be impartial and at equal distance from each party; however, his overt support and propaganda for the AKP distracts from the fairness of the elections.
Halk seçim güvenliğine tecavüzü etkisiz kılacaktır! Tarhan Erdem accuses Erdoğan of using the power, money, and resources of Presidency unlawfully in order to make propaganda for his own party, the AKP.
Kürt sorunu yoksa son iki seçimdir elinde o Kürtçe Kur`an`ların işi ne! Celal Başlangıç criticizes President Erdoğan for using the first Kurdish-language Quran, published by Turkey’s state-run Religious Affairs Directorate, as a political tool in order to challenge the HDP’s votes.
Utanç verici! Hasan Cemal finds it “shameful” that President Erdoğan is unlawfully making the AKP’s propaganda and using religion, law, and justice as political tools in his election propaganda.
Ak Partililer niçin öfkeli, niçin sorgulamıyor? Criticizing President Erdoğan’s election campaigns and propaganda in favor of the AKP, Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu warns the AKP’s members against the threat of a personification of power around President Erdoğan.
Yurt dışı seçmen neyi değiştirebilir? According to Emre Erdoğan, Turkish citizens living abroad constitute five percent of the whole electorate, and it is important for political parties to motivate them to go to the ballot box.
Seçim ortamı ne kadar adil? Canberk Beygova writes that only twenty-three percent of the electorate from opposition parties believe that elections will be transparent and fair.
En akıllıca seçim bildirgesi HDP’ninki While Mert Yıldız finds the HDP’s election manifesto as the “smartest manifesto,” he argues that the HDP did not pay enough attention to the economy despite the fact that the solution to the Kurdish question lies not only in the words of Abdullah Öcalan but also in the economy.
İkinci Davutoğlu bozgunu ve AKP’nin çözülüşü Karabekir Akkoyunlu writes that there is an increasing tension between President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Davutoğlu as a result of Erdoğan’s “leadership crisis.”
Avrupa`dan gelecek sürprize hazır mısınız? Yücel Özdemir suggests that voters in Europe are very important, especially for the HDP, which occupies a critical place at the limits of the electoral threshold.
Seçim sonuçlarına güvenilemeyeceğinin somut kanıtını buldum (1)-(2) Ezgi Başaran expresses her concerns about the lack of election safety and transparency, and introduces an independent organization called Oy ve Ötesi (Vote and Beyond), which will monitor the votes in the upcoming elections.
Kampanyaların ilk çeyreği geçilirken Bekir Ağırdır evaluates the political parties’ election campaigns.
Other Pertinent Pieces
‘İç güvenlik’ terörü ve bu daha başlangıç Fatih Polat writes that the government’s controversial “Domestic Security bill” showed its first consequences on May Day, which was marked by sheer police violence.
Kürtler neden 1915`i konuşuyor? Namık Kemal Dinç’s interview sheds light on the relationship of Kurds to the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
Bunun adı Cİ-NA-YET ve KAT-Lİ-AM-DIR! Kadın cinayetleri PO-Lİ-TİK-TİR! Hande Çayır points out the media’s patriarchal and sexist bias in femicide cases.
Seni Berfo Ana’yla Erdal Eren’in yanına uğurluyorum, Evren Paşa… Writing in the wake of the death of former Turkish President and coup leader Kenan Evren, Hakan Aksay reminds us of the brutalities General Evren carried out, such as executions, imprisonments, torture, and the forced disappearance of thousands of leftists.
Published on Jadaliyya
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Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
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