[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.]
English
Reactions to The Peace Plan
Trump's Mideast plan aims to legitimize destruction of Palestine: Turkey's National Security Council. "The only solution is the establishment of an independent Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," the council said in a statement, following the unveiling of the peace plan.
Trump's Middle East plan will deepen chaos. “Let us hope that this half-baked deal, which Trump hopes to close by the 2024 U.S. presidential election, won't serve to deepen the existing chaos. After all, its chances of success are extremely slim,” writes Melih Altınok.
Trump plan will empower extremists, damage idea of peace. “The Trump plan is one of the absurdest and unfairest plans ever that will create a new apartheid system. Insistence on the Trump plan will only strengthen the idea of violating international norms and will promote extremism,” writes Talha Köse.
A Palestine without Jerusalem, a Jerusalem without Palestine. “In reality, this plan is not for bringing peace between Israel and the Palestinians: It means the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain are selling Palestine for their peace with Israel,” argues Merve Şebnem Oruç.
Turkey as an International Actor
Outspoken Recep Tayyip Erdoğan challenges both Washington and Moscow. “Turkey’s president casts himself as the champion of a militant pan-Islamic revival – and is proving a thorn in the side of enemies and allies alike,” Simon Tisdall argues.
Turkey’s Role in Syria
Turkey's hands tied as Syrian army makes gains in Idlib. “Behind its strong condemnations, Turkey is quietly accepting the new status quo in and around Idlib,” argues Fehim Taştekin.
Could the killing of Turkish troops damage Turkey-Russia ties? According to analysts speaking to Al Jazeera, the death of eight Turkish military personnel in Syria “will not jeopardize its relationship with Moscow.”
Russia and Turkey have fallen out in Syria. “After President Donald Trump precipitately withdrew US forces from Syria last October, there was nothing left in that vacuum but a wobbly tripod of power formed by Russia, Iran and Turkey — and that is now falling apart. Russia and Turkey are also on opposite sides of Libya’s civil war and Mr. Erdogan has pretty much burnt Turkey’s bridges with the US and EU. Ankara may have bitten off more than it can chew,” argues Andrew Gardner.
Idlib crisis marks end of Sochi deal. “If not managed, the latest attack may initiate a negative phase in Turkish-Russian relations that could have widespread repercussions, ranging from bilateral trade and tourism to the defense industry and energy pipelines,” writes Muhittin Ataman.
Escalation in Syria and Libya tests limits of Erdogan-Putin ties. “Erdogan is risking possible military confrontations with too many players due to his aggressive foreign policies in Syria and the eastern Mediterranean. [...] Erdogan’s gunboat diplomacy in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean, and European fears of Syrian refugees, might still pay dividends,” writes Cengiz Çandar.
Turkey, Libya, and the Eastern Mediterranean
Hydrocarbon Diplomacy: Turkey’s Gambit Might Yet Pay a Peace Dividend. “While reviving Turkey-Israel ties is not a panacea for regional deadlock, it would be a clear step in the right direction. The other parties may have to concede that excluding Ankara from the Eastern Mediterranean bounty is not sustainable. Turkey, in turn, will need a face-saving option to de-escalate gunboat diplomacy tactics and avoid international isolation,” argues Burcu Özçelik, commenting on the recent developments in the region.
Putschist Haftar poses major threat to Europe. “It is worth reminding what has happened to the U.S. and its allies, who have been supporting Taliban terrorism in Afghanistan. Those who have had to fight against the Taliban they brought to power must make sure they cannot have a long friendly relationship with a Libya seized by the putschist Haftar,” argues Ozan Ceyhun.
The Meaning of Brexit for Ankara
The real Brexit is for Turkey. “Since March 2018, obtaining a visa through the Ankara Agreement got increasingly harder. [...] Real impact of Brexit over Turkey may be on trade front though,” argues Sezin Öney.
The Earthquake in Elâzığ
How was the earthquake relief money spent in Elazığ? “Some 67.5 billion Turkish Liras have been collected up to now for earthquake relief. But rather than on earthquake preparedness, the money was largely spent on construction projects,” writes Önder Algedik, joining the number of those who criticized the government on the matter after the recent earthquake in Elâzığ.
Economy and Politics
The economy takes its toll. “The chaos that occurred after the June 2015 election worked for Erdoğan, but his approval ratings tend to fall when terror attacks or wars halt and people start worrying about the economy. According to Metropoll, the last time Erdoğan’s approval rating was higher than 50 percent was 2018,” writes Nevşin Mengü, commenting on a recent poll.
Violence against Women
The Murder of a Ballerina. “On the streets of Ordu, women are making the choice between fear and freedom in the aftermath of the Ceren Özdemir murder,” Beril Eski writes on the New York Times, commenting on the murder of the 20-year-old Turkish ballerina and on the steadily increasing number of femicides registered in Turkey in the past decade.
Environmental Issues
Most of 11m trees planted in Turkish project 'may be dead'. “Up to 90% of the millions of saplings planted in Turkey as part of a record-breaking mass planting project may have died after just a few months,” reports The Guardian.
Turkish
Reactions to The Peace Plan
Trump ile damadı Kudüs’ü ve Batı Şeria’yı İsrail’e hediye eden barış planı yaptılar. “No matter the reactions [to the proposed Peace Plan] it is unlikely that at this moment something will stop Israel’s enlargement,” writes Mehmet Barlas, criticizing the Middle East Peace Plan unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump, and arguing that people such as Turkish President Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan cannot accept it as it is.
İşte size asrın barış planı. The proposed Peace Plan “left the impression that it was prepared at Netanyahu’s house,” instead of being “entrusted to experts looking for a solution,” argues Zekeriya Kurşun.
Filistin’i bitirme planı. The real plan “is to allow Israel to expand, annihilate Palestine, and hide this intention under the umbrella of diplomacy,” argues Hilâl Kaplan.
Turkey’s Role in Syria
Şükrü Elekdağ sınırlarımıza dayanan insani felaketin kaçınılmaz olduğunu söylemişti! Commenting on the death of Turkish military personnel in Syria, and on “one million of Syrians that are now piling up at the border,“ Uğur Dündar argues that retired ambassador Şükrü Elekdağ had predicted the outcome of Ankara’s involvement in Idlib, but the government did not listen.
Ha Amerika ha Rusya ha PKK ha Esad. “The developments have shown that Russia is as unreliable as America is,” writes Nedim Şener.
İdlib’de ikinci aşama. “The EU should never forget that Turkey has protected its borders,” writes Burhanettin Duran, arguing that nor the EU nor the US can afford to turn a blind eye to what is happening in Idlib.
The Earthquake in Elâzığ
Depremin altında kalan. “From the East to West, everywhere the country is shaking every single day and Istanbul has many houses that are candidates to be a coffin,” writes L. Doğan Tılıç, asking if Turkey will forget about it until the next earthquake comes.
Hatta daha fazlası sorulur. Turkey should not spend money on the construction of Kanal Istanbul, “which is said to bring more risks in case of an earthquake,” writes Elif Çakır.
İmamoğlu’nun doğruları, yanlışları. “If İmamoğlu had been a politician in Denmark, or Sweden, I would have not said anything. However, we are in Turkey. What is expected from a politician here is different,” comments Abdulkadir Selvi. The mayor of Istanbul has been criticized for taking a family vacation right after the earthquake.
İmamoğlu’nu bırakın da Erdoğan’a sorulan sorulara bakın. The press should “leave İmamoğlu alone,” and rather look at the question pro-government journalists asked to president Erdoğam after the earthquake, writes Murat Yetkin, arguing that none of the issues that need to be addressed were raised.
The Red Crescent Scandal
Devletin parasını Manhattan'a vakfetmek. “The state does not need intermediaries to provide services to those in need. Too bad that, as we have also seen in the Red Crescent issue, the meaning of the word ‘foundation’ under the AKP has changed,” argues Deniz Zeyrek, intervening in a debate over a donation transferred from the Turkish Red Crescent to an Islamist foundation.
Coronavirus
Koronavirüs Çin’i fena ‘sars’abilir. “The coronavirus outbreak has put China’s reputation on the line,” writes Kerem Alkin, arguing that “if global anxiety increases, China may suffer bigger damages than the ‘trade wars’.”
Çin’i Amerika değil koronavirüs dize getirdi. “What do you think? Couldn’t the US have produced this virus that hit China?” asks Mehmet Barlas.
Global stratejik savaşta Koronavirüs kullanılıyor. “The coronavirus is being used as a weapon in the global war for power,” writes Serdar Turgut, criticizing the way politicians are dealing with the outbreak.
Published on Jadaliyya
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