ŞİMŞEK DRONE GAINS KAMIKAZE CAPABILITY
The high-speed target drone Şimşek, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has been transformed into a kamikaze platform, Defense Industry Presidency chief Haluk Görgün announced on Aug. 22.
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CRIMINAL COMPLAINT FILED AGAINST PRESIDENCY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
A non-governmental organization has filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office over three recent Islamic sermons issued by the Presidency of Religious Affairs and delivered in mosques nationwide.
FAMED LAWYER’S ARREST IGNITES AKP INFIGHTING OVER JUDICIARY PRESSURE
The detention of notorious media-savvy lawyer Rezan Epözdemir has exposed faultlines between the Presidency and sidelined AKP members over how the party relates to the judiciary.
SERAP YAZICI ÖZBUDUN: “FOR THE REASON I SAW”
We are living in bizarre times. Not just strange or odd, but truly bizarre. Politics is being tested like in a diploma exam. The diploma of Istanbul Mayor and the CHP’s almost certain presidential candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu, has become nearly the only topic of discussion these days. The diploma debate is not new in Turkish politics either. This is a country where, perhaps since his election, there has been an ongoing debate over whether President Tayyip Erdoğan has a diploma or not. However, this time, the roles have reversed: those who once said, "Erdoğan does not have a diploma; his presidency is invalid," are now facing off against those who argue, "İmamoğlu’s diploma is null and void; he cannot run for the presidency." The debate is revolving around the question of "who actually has a diploma."
U.S. DRILLS RATTLE TURKEY’S ENERGY ASPIRATIONS
Turkey, a major fossil fuel importer, will walk a fine line as Donald Trump’s return to the presidency sees the U.S. reviving its “energy dominance” policy—a policy widely anticipated to disrupt global energy dynamics. Characterized by ramping up fossil fuel production and expanding energy exports, the restored agenda, now under the new Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a prominent figure in the petroleum industry, will double down on fossil fuels, reversing the Biden administration’s renewable energy priorities.
ANKARA VS ISTANBUL: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
“When good bureaucrats retire, they go to Istanbul,” quipped a Turkish diplomat at his farewell dinner several years ago. He was about to join the steady flow of ex-ambassadors and senior officials who settle comfortably into Istanbul’s glamorous private sector. While these bureaucrats enjoy Istanbul’s cosmopolitan delights and lucrative board positions, politicians with unsatisfied ambitions would do well to think twice. The graceful transition from bureaucracy-laden Ankara to Istanbul’s cultural and economic limelight might be liberating—but for politicians, it often signals the end of the line. Take Abdullah Gül, who leads the parade of high-profile politicians who found themselves in Istanbul once their grip on Ankara slipped. Gül, the soft-spoken Number Two to Erdoğan at the founding of AKP, left the presidency in 2014 with considerable bitterness, feeling sidelined by Erdoğan and his team. Settling first in Tarabya’s Presidential Palace and then in a private villa in Beykoz, he became a figure whom former allies and even foes sought out for advice on new parties, and periodically as a possible challenger to Erdoğan. Yet, Gül never took the plunge, proving that the view from Istanbul is often one of wistful distance from real political clout.