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Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Turkey’s Internal Power Struggle

Reining in the Gülenists can be seen as a welcome development, but it will also consolidate Erdoğan’s already alarming monopolization of power… Continue reading

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Football and Fethullah: The Gülen Movement’s New Goals?

On May 12, 2012, Istanbul rivals Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray played out a goalless draw in the final match of the Turkish 2011-2102 soccer season, handing the national championship to Galatasaray… Continue reading

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A House Divided Against Itself: The Deteriorating State of Media Freedom in Turkey

Most international attention has focused on the more than 100 journalists who are now in jail in Turkey as a result of what they have written or said… Continue reading

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The Changing Objects of Fear: The Arrest of Ilker Basbug

In the early hours of January 6, General İlker Başbuğ, chief of the Turkish General Staff from 2008 to 2010, was arrested and imprisoned on allegations of “founding or directing an armed terrorist organization, inciting the overthrow of the government of the Turkish Republic or the prevention of it fulfilling its duties”… Continue reading

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Beyond Memory and Imagination: Civil-Military Relations and Turkey’s New Authoritarianism

The resignations on July 29, 2011, of the Turkish chief of staff and all three force commanders are without precedent in… Continue reading

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What’s REALLY Happening in the Middle East Today

A few hours ago I wrote that the Egyptian military government reportedly told Israel that a major Israeli offensive… Continue reading

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Above the Threshold, Below the Belt: the Video Campaign Against the MHP

An internet website began broadcasting secretly-recorded videos of six members of the Turkish MHP engaging in extramarital sexual relations… Continue reading

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The Nominations of Candidates for the June General Election: A Choice Between Status Quo and Renewal

The ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) choice of candidates to the general election in June reflect a desire to entrench the power base… Continue reading

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The Fading Masquerade: Ergenekon and the Politics of Justice in Turkey

On the afternoon of March 30, 2011, Zekeriya Öz, the chief prosecutor in the controversial Ergenekon investigation, was abruptly… Continue reading

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What Country in the World Has the Most Journalists Imprisoned?

What country in the world has the most journalists imprisoned? The answer might surprise you. According to a recent study… Continue reading

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Ending Turkey’s nightmare

The arrest of prominent journalists in Turkey on March 3, among them a recipient of the International Press Institute’s “World Press Freedom Hero” award… Continue reading

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Turkey’s Polarized Climate Complicates Efforts to Deal with Past and Present Authoritarianism

In the deeply polarized climate that pervades Turkish society, it has become near-impossible to stake out an ideological terrain that… Continue reading