Erdogan’s Turkey: Diminished and Marginalized
Under the president’s watch, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to describe any foreign policy portfolio that has furthered the country’s national interest.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Turkey Cannot Be a Mediator in the Gaza War
The Turkish government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not shy about its enthusiastic support of Hamas. Last month Erdogan shocked observers after declaring “Turkey is a country that stands firmly behind...
Op-eds
Erdogan Needs a Reset with the US but Congress Could Stand in the Way
Turkey is attempting the impossible by trying to reestablish a productive relationship with the US while declaring his unreserved support for Hamas, and Congress may be gearing up to push back. After suffering...
Op-eds
Hamas Leader to Meet With Erdogan in Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on April 17 that he plans to meet Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Turkey over the coming weekend, calling Haniyeh the “leader of...
Flash Briefs
How Turkey’s opposition media empowers Erdoğan
Complicity in perpetuating authoritarian rule has many faces. Undemocratic governance is propped up by politicians and big businesses as well as a complacent media ecosystem and...
Op-eds
Turkey’s Erdoğan Silences Critics with “FETO” Terrorist Label
For 10 years, the Gulen movement has been synonymous with terrorism
Op-eds
What to Expect From Erdogan’s Third Term
Erdogan has two priorities: to chart a more assertive presence for Turkey and to leverage Ankara’s position inside Western institutions to make that happen.
Op-eds
Turkey’s 2023 Elections: The Anticipated Happened?
Expectation management should have guided analysts’ analysis, which unfortunately gave way to them becoming cheerleaders for the political opposition.
Op-eds
Ekrem Imamoglu Is the Best Chance for Turkish Democracy
If the opposition is interested in seeing Turkey restore democracy and the rule of law, it would do well to nominate Imamoglu as its candidate.
Op-eds
The Israeli Moment
If anyone is going to derail the Islamic Republic’s regional ambitions, Israel is really the only local counterweight that counts.
Op-eds
Remember Lepanto
A great battle in a war not yet ended
Op-eds
Give Osman Kavala the Nobel Peace Prize
Kavala is a philanthropist who, for decades, has stood up to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and to authoritarians of every stripe inside Turkey.
Op-eds
The Saudi Evolution
Fouad Ajami had an odd fondness for Saudi Arabia. He was an Americanized, secular Shiite with European sensibilities who, truth be told, had pretty much burned out on the ugliness of the modern Arab world. He...
Op-eds
The Battle of Hagia Sophia: Erdogan’s Conquest of the Turkish Republic
This will set a dangerous precedent, emboldening supremacists not only in Turkey but also in the Middle East and North Africa.
Op-eds
Erdogan’s Target in Hagia Sophia Stunt was Ataturk’s Legacy
The re-designation of this iconic building as a mosque was not just a sop to the Turkish President’s Islamist fans – but another blow at the memory of the statesman whose legacy haunts and frustrates him.
Op-eds
Erdogan’s Fourth Attempt to Take Over Turkey’s Largest Private Bank
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 12 asked the central executive committee of his Justice and Development Party to speed up plans for the government to take over a 28 percent stake in Isbank,...
Policy Briefs
Erdogan Plots to Take Over Turkey’s Largest Private Bank – For the Third Time
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reportedly approved plans for Ankara’s Treasury to take a 28 percent stake in Isbank, the country’s largest publicly listed lender. Turkey’s protracted...
Policy Briefs
The war against Christians
It hit a peak in the last century but it's ongoing in the Middle East, Africa and Asia
Op-eds
Erdoğan’s Interests Converge with Putin in Moldova’s Gagauzia
BACKGROUND: On October 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan touched down in Chisinau for a ...
Op-eds
Some ‘Modernizer’
Is Saudi Arabia’s crown prince joining a long line of absolutist rulers in the Middle East?