[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

Domestic Politics

Turkey Warns Twitter, Facebook of Fresh Ban Hacer Boyacıoğlu reports that Turkish authorities warned all websites not to publish leaked records related to Syrian-bound trucks belonging to the Turkish intelligence agency MIT.

Turkish Military Says MIT Shipped Weapons to al-Qaeda  Fehim Taştekin reports that according to newly leaked official documents belonging to Turkey`s national intelligence service (MIT), trucks were found to be transporting weapons from Turkey to Syria.

Building Partisan Civil Service in Turkey Abdullah Bozkurt points out that the ruling AKP has circumvented the State Personnel Examination (KPSS)—the standard exam for employment in the civil service—by abusing the exceptional status for adviser positions for the purpose of placing low-caliber people, most of them close associates and relatives of AKP leaders.

Nepotism as a Way of Governance Lale Kemal argues that the recent disclosure of a list of people who are relatives or friends with AKP members or Cabinet ministers and who are employed in the state bureaucracy without having taken the obligatory exams has brought the widespread practice of nepotism to the surface.

Win-Win or Lose-Lose Yusuf Kanlı argues that it is most likely that Turkey will become a far more conservative and religious state with neo-Ottomanist utopias after the next elections.

Erdoğan, Inadvertently, Brings Humor to Turkey Cengiz Çandar ridicules the ceremony where President Tayyip Erdoğan received Mahmoud Abbas in front of an honor guard, where soldiers wore the military uniforms of the sixteen Turkic states of the past.

Turkish Kurds` Electoral Strategy is a High-Wire Act  Amberin Zaman reports that rumors of electoral collusion between the ruling AKP and the Peoples` Democratic Party (HDP) are gaining momentum.

New Developments in the Dink Case… (1)-(2) Ali Bayramoğlu points out that the Court of Appeals indicated that there are links between Hrant Dink’s murder and organized crime rather than sporadic crime.

Turkey`s Protestants Complain of Discrimination, Harassment “While barbaric attacks such as the one on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo raise concerns of Islamist extremism and sometimes spark Islamophobia in the West, Turkey`s tiny Protestant community is reporting intolerance toward Christians,” reports Mustafa Akyol.

Why Turkey’s Transformation is Confusing Güven Sak argues that the AKP presents a continuum rather than a break in Turkish history.

Turkey’s Stance on the Paris Attacks

What Does that Photograph from Paris Tell Us! (1)-(2) İbrahim Karagül argues that “real hell would have broken lose” if Davutoğlu hadn’t participated in the Paris march because it could have led to Turkey being denounced as a country that supports terrorism and groups like ISIS.

Keep Marching Mr. Davutoğlu, in Ankara Too Murat Yetkin calls on Prime Minister Davutoğlu to do more than joining a march in Paris, beginning with imposing tighter measures along Turkey`s borders against the infiltration of radical Islamist militants.

Turkey’s Remedy: Set the Conditions for Coexistence İlnur Çevik argues that the West has to concentrate on creating conditions where Muslims can fit into Western societies without becoming victims of Islamophobia, and he believes that Turkey can be a role model for coexistence of all religions.

Turkey`s Prime Minister at Paris March Commenting on Davutoğlu`s presence in Paris, Markar Esayan argues that Turkey constitutes an antidote to the Islamist radicalisms and a democratic role model for Europe.

Mixed Turkish Reactions to Paris Massacre “The government’s attempt to be politically correct in its condemnation of the attack on Charlie Hebdo is not reflected by all elements of the ruling party and the Islamist media,” writes Semih İdiz.

Turkey’s Messages on Islam Doomed to Fall on Deaf Ears Barçın Yinanç argues that since Turkey slides into an authoritarian system that imposes the implementation of rigid interpretation of Islam, even if some of the messages voiced by Turkish leaders may be correct, they fall on deaf ears in Europe.

The Ones who Caught the Scent of Chaos… According to Ali Bayramoğlu, Turkey should be protected from the fault line pointed out by the assault in Paris.

Will Turkey Pass the Charlie Test? Cengiz Aktar reports that Turkish anti-terror police had raided the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet and protesters gathered outside the premises of Cumhuriyet threatening the journalists after they published a sixteen-page special edition of Charlie Hebdo.

Attack on the Cumhuriyet Daily Condemning the attacks and police raid on Cumhuriyet after it published a special issue of Charlie Hebdo, İhsan Yılmaz argues that none of the AKP leaders or representatives have criticized these acts.

Turkey Should Revisit Its Secular Character to Fight Global Terror Serkan Demirtaş argues that Turkey’s stance on global terror is completely different when comparing the post-Paris process with the post 9/11 attacks in 2001.

Turkish Religious Thinker Ponders Future of Islam Barin Kayaoğlu introduces Turkey’s veteran religious thinker Levent Gultekin as a solution for both Islamophobia and Islamic extremism, especially in the wake of the brutal attacks in Paris.

Charlie Hebdo`s Humor Upsets Turkish Islamists “Turks have taken to social media to criticize or applaud their government`s reaction to the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, though some individuals have threatened a Turkish newspaper with violence after its publication of Charlie Hebdo cartoons,” writes Pınar Tremblay.

Foreign Relations

Turkey Cannot Secure Syrian Border Alone Semih İdiz reports that Turkish officials say Turkey is doing its best to prevent crossings into and out of Syria by Islamic militants, blaming European countries for not furnishing useful intelligence.

Turkey to Attend London Meeting of Anti-ISIL Fight Murat Yetkin argues that Turkey’s position regarding the fight against ISIL is heading toward a crossroads, especially after the Paris attack on Charlie Hebdo.

Turkey Aims to Mend Ties with Armenia According to Zülfikar Doğan, Armenia’s entry in the Euroasian Economic Union has encouraged Prime Minister Davutoğlu to implement his formal apology and open the border with Armenia before 24 April 2015, the one hundredth anniversary of the genocide.

Davutoğlu’s Visit to Germany and the EU’s Immigration Problem Cemil Ertem comments on Prime Minister Davutoğlu`s recent visit to Germany in the wake of Paris attacks and the growing anti-immigration protests in Germany.

Turkish-Israeli Ties Worse Than Ever Semih İdiz argues that President Erdoğan’s irritation over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s presence at the Paris rally has contributed to rekindling tensions between Turkey and Israel.

Economy

Ministers on Economic Reforms Seyfettin Gürsel argues that the AKP should implement structural economic reforms rather than focusing on the establishment of a presidential system.

Let the Turkish Economy Grow Güneş Kömürcüler argues that Turkey’s growth rate is around three percent, and this is low in light of the country’s potential and numerous advantages.

Current Economic Situation and Relations with the West According to Erdal Sağlam, Turkey is rapidly approaching an economic bottleneck because of the effects of polarization in politics and mistakes in diplomacy on the economy.

Will Investment Trends Change in Turkey in 2015? Mehmet Çetingüleç writes that the Istanbul stock exchange emerged as the most profitable investment tool in Turkey in 2014, followed by the dollar.

Turkey Faced with Russian Winter in Trade and Tourism “I will probably end up puking if I read one more overly-optimistic report about the positive impact of lower oil prices on the Turkish economy, and especially Turkey’s current account deficit,” writes Emre Deliveli.

Other Pertinent Pieces

Four ‘F’s’ of Turkish Cinema in 2014: Facts, Figures, Fiction, Fear A retrospective of Turkey’s cinema as it left one hundred years behind at the end of 2014.

Shifting Roles of Anıtkabir in “New Turkey” Canan Neşe Karahasan analyzes what happens to Anıtkabir, the strong symbol of secularism, during the AKP’s “new Turkey,” where Kemalist-secularist state power and its official nationalism are overturned under the single party rule of the “neo-Islamist” AKP.

Challenging Neoliberalism at Turkey`s Gezi Park In this new book, Efe Can Gürcan and Efe Peker focus on Turkey`s struggle against "neoliberalism with Islamic characteristics."

Dear Sponsors, Please Let Turkish Football Die “While Turkey seems to be on a downward path in democracy, freedom of speech and fighting against corruption, the situation of the country’s football is no different,” argues Özgür Korkmaz.

Turkish

Domestic Politics

Şu fors ve 16 devlet Doğu Ergil discusses the meaning of the sixteen Turkish states image in terms of Erdoğan’s strategies of national discourse.

Seçimi böyle kazandık Hüseyin Özay reports the infractions of the rules in the previous elections based on a whistleblower’s testimony.

Odak ayarı Yücel Göktürk of eXpress magazine gives a detailed picture of the current state of politics and points to the importance of alliances among democratic forces in Turkey before the 2015 elections.

AKP ile dalga geçiyoruz iyi hoş da Erdem Yörük argues that making fun of the AKP’s political maneuvers helps consolidate the image of the AKP`s representations of its electorate.

CHP’li vekil Melda Onur: Kasımpaşalı Tayyip’i oynamak Prof. Davutoğlu’na yakışmıyor An interview with CHP MP Melda Onur on Davutoğlu’s stance, socialists’ call for coalition, Charlie Hebdo, AKP’s politics of women, and other topics.

‘Batı ahlakı’ denildiğinde, bir tek şey düşünebilenler… (1) - (2) Murat Sevinç talks about the differences in the current political culture of Turkey and France (and the West in general), and draws a connection between religious sensitivity and pressures on freedom of speech in Turkey.

Bu memleketi çiftliğiniz mi sandınız? Mehmet Kamış sees the government’s handling of the “parallel state” allegations and the public indifference to the illegality of the process as symptoms of fascism.

Bir yıkım politikası olarak dalkavukluk According to Lale Kemal, nepotism and clientelism have reached unacceptable numbers with government loyalists being appointed to high ranking civil service positions.

Kırılan misafir kalemler Fehim Taştekin depicts the situation of journalists who work for foreign agencies frequently facing prosecutions and threats from AKP supporters and Erdoğan himself.

İşte sol partiyi öne geçiren program Süleyman Yaşar suggests that a coalition that adapts a similar program to SYRIZA’s economic agenda could win the next elections.

Türkiye Korku Cumhuriyeti According to Mustafa Alp Dağıstanlı, the Republic of Turkey has always been a republic of fear for those whose views deviated from the dominant conservative and religious understandings.

Karartmanın bu kadarını en son ne zaman gördünüz? Commenting on the Cumhuriyet newspaper raid regarding the announcement of a reprint of Charlie Hebdo’s cover, Ezgi Başaran expresses intense worry over freedom of press in the country.  

MİT TIR’ları nasıl görünmez oldu? Serhat Koç reports the story and the legal implications of Turkish Intelligence’s now notorious trucks, which were allegedly carrying weapons to Al-Qaeda.

Davutoğlu’nun paketi According to Mustafa Ünal, Davutoğlu’s new “fight against corruption” package contradicts the AKP’s practices and its latest positioning in the dismissal of the corruption cases.

İslamofobi, düşünce özgürlüğü ve Cumhuriyet  The questioning, critique, or even ridicule of religion in countries like Turkey where religion is organized and disseminated directly by the state cannot be counted as Islamophobia or "hate speech,” says Foti Benlisoy.

Turkey’s Stance on the Paris Attacks

Davutoğlu Berlin`de kifayetsiz cümleler kurdu According to Fulya Cansen, Davutoğlu’s statements in Berlin were inadequate to address the real problems that will follow the attacks in Paris.

AKP’nin IŞİD çıkmazı “If Turkey opposes ISIS, it will lose its biggest ally in the fight against PKK, but the ties with ISIS puts it in conflict with the world. Unless the politics of peace are developed, Turkey will continue floundering in a swamp,” argues Hüseyin Ali.

Davutoğlu’nun samimiyetsizliği Paris’te zirve yaptı Commenting on Davutoğlu’s Paris presence, Cenk Sidar attests that insincerity and contradiction between discourse and action have become synonymous with Davutoğlu.

Cıvık bir İslâmcı popülizm ile nereye kadar? Mümtaz’er Türköne argues that Erdoğan’s statement on Charlie Hebdo is irresponsibly populist and fails to capture the importance of the event.

“Protection of Family” Agenda  

Davutoğlu’nun nüfus ve aileyi koruma programı ya da reklamlarla kadınların değişen hayatı… Hülya Osmanoğlu discusses the potential drawbacks of the new regulation for women’s place in the work force, relating the latest bill to the government’s long record of conservative politics.

AKP’nin erkek aklı özgür kadından korkuyor According to Zilar Sterk, the main goal of the new project is not easing women’s lives, but forcing them to live within the confines of dominant ideology.

‘Sosyal devlet’ dedikleri Nilgün Tunçcan Olgan underlines the links between the government’s neo-liberal economic policy and its stance on family and women.

Cizre Killings / Peace and Reconciliation Process

Cizre’de savaş derinleşiyor: 20 günde 4 çocuk ölümü A detailed account of what happened in Cizre, where four Kurdish children were killed during protests.

Cizre’nin çocukları ve ‘provokasyon’ mekaniği! “The tension in Cizre is a matter of whether the Kurdish movement will be able to maintain its ‘self-defence’ mechanisms, an extension of the institutionalization of ‘de facto autonomy,’ against the government’s discourse of ‘public order,’” argues Vedat İlbeyoğlu.

Cizre soruları Ertan Altan asks who will take responsibility for preventing the death of young people in Cizre.

Hrant şüphelisini Cizre`ye müdür yapmak... Commenting on the appointment of a police chief who was sought in connection to Hrant Dink’s killing to Cizre, Oral Calışlar points to the deeper significance of Dink’s assassination.

‘Birkaç sıkıntı olan mahalle’ Cizre’nin yüzde seksenidir In response to Yalçın Akdoğan’s statement on Cizre events, Veysi Sarisözen argues that the events are not the work of marginals but represent a bigger discontent with the government.

Kürtler, bölünmek, Cemil Bayık, özerklik, Rojava, IŞİD, Erdoğan...  According to Hasan Cemal, Turks’ fear of division is a big barrier to peacemaking, along with the government’s alleged secret relations with ISIS.

Erdoğan’la söyleşi yapmak istiyorum Frederike Geerdink talks about the challenge of accessing Turkish politicians for a news story on sensitive political issues, stating her wish to talk to Erdoğan, Davutoğlu, and Öcalan on the peace process.

Foreign Relations

Irak, Türkiye ve bölgesel oyunun kuralları Faris El Hattab argues that in a conjecture where the oil prices dropped, Iraqi government is facing an economic crisis and Turkey needs the Iraqi market; it is impossible to sustain the tension between two governments.

Filistin Sorunu ve Türkiye`nin sınırlı rolü According to Osman Bahadır Dinçer, Turkey should keep a low profile in its relationship with the Palestinian leadership, as its international influence is currently limited due to its poor foreign policy record.

Türk dış politikası = Şark kurnazlığı Cengiz Çandar criticizes the government’s promotion of the Battle of Çanakkale in the wake of the one hundredth anniversary of Metz Yeghern “Great Catastrophe.”

Türkiye neden dışlanıyor? Ali Yurttagül discusses the reasons why Turkey was initially left out of the London anti-terror summit.

Other Pertinent Pieces

Suriyeli sığınmacıların Türkiye’ye etkileri Oytun Orhan argues that if the Syrian refugee presence is tol be permanent, the government should develop social and economic policies to counteract public discontent.

Bir intiharın anatomisi ya da kötülüğün sıradanlığı Commenting on an Istanbul-based trans woman Mehtap Zengin’s suicide, Yıldız Tar traces the "banality of evil" in LGBTI circles and underlines the need for extended solidarity networks.

Ekonomide sığınmacı etkisi Uğur Gürses discusses the findings of a study on the influence of Syrian refugees on Turkey’s economy.

`Fail-i devlet`: Sabahattin Ali, Musa Anter, Uğur Mumcu, Hrant Dink cinayetleri Ayşe Hür documents the involvement of the state in the assassinations of certain important public figures: Sabahattin Ali, Musa Anter, Uğur Mumcu, and Hrant Dink.

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