NATO COMPARES TO YOU
The Sultan's guard in scarlet plumes lined up beneath the summit's blooms, Janissaries, sabers bright,
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
ANKARA AWAITS POST-NATO POLITICAL STORM
Turkey's political agenda is expected to pivot sharply from diplomacy to domestic maneuvering as post-NATO scenarios dominate the discussion from July 9 onward. The conclusion of the NATO Ankara Summit, widely seen as an international success for Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally, has triggered intense political speculation amid increasing pressure on dissidents.
ŞATAFAT / POMP
The word of the week is şatafat, and Ankara supplied the visual aid. At the NATO summit, Turkey received its guests with the full vocabulary of Erdoğan-era grandeur: mehter music, ceremonial guards, a turquoise carpet that seemed designed less for walking than for being recorded, and the Erdoğan couple standing before the vast Presidential Complex, its doors polished to a shine usually reserved for furniture showrooms. There was also the choreography.
DEALS AND PLANS MADE AT $70 BILLION DEFENSE SHOWCASE
Companies showcased $70 billion in products to state leaders at the defense industry forum that took place alongside the NATO Summit in Ankara.
AS NATO SUMMIT KICKS OFF IN ANKARA, İMAMOĞLU BARRED FROM HIS TRIAL AND DETENTION OF JOURNALISTS CONTINUE
In the latest hearing of the Istanbul Municipality corruption trial on July 7, jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was not brought to the courtroom, and detentions of dissident journalists continued in Istanbul while the capital Ankara began hosting the NATO Summit.
TURKEY COURTS IRAQ AND SYRIA AT CRITICAL MOMENT FOR PEACE PROCESS
Turkey made simultaneous overtures to Iraq and Syria at a critical moment for the peace process, as the government prepares to submit the bill to parliament before the summer recess. National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın completed a three-day tour of Iraq while Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi held security talks in Damascus.
PEACE PROCESS AWAITS THE LAW, THE LAW AWAITS ANSWERS
The peace process, dubbed the Terror-Free Turkey, now awaits the 'framework law,' expected to be submitted before parliament goes into its summer recess. There appears to be no consensus, however, on the bill's exact timing, scope and the conditions on the ground. While the process remains in the waiting room, the Interior Ministry took a concrete step, lifting thousands of search points and checkpoints in the terror-affected region. The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, through all its spokespeople, is asking 'what the law is waiting for.' But reading between the lines of AKP and DEM Party statements reveals disagreements at the draft stage.
EYES FOCUSED ON THE DEFENSE INDUSTRY FORUM
As Turkey prepares to host a NATO summit for the first time in 22 years attention is heavily focused on the NSDIF26.
AKP QUIETLY STRIPS JUDICIAL PACKAGE OF CONTESTED CLAUSES
The ruling AKP submitted the omnibus bill known as the 12th Judicial Package to parliament. The draft law aims to increase judicial efficiency. However, the AKP group stripped the document of numerous highly debated articles originally proposed by the Justice Ministry.
OPERASYON / OPERATION
The word of the week is operasyon, which is hardly surprising. Ahead of the NATO summit, Turkish authorities announced an operation resulting in hundreds of detentions.
PEACE PROCESS FRAMEWORK LAW ON TRACK FOR JULY, ERDOĞAN SIGNALS
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has signaled that the long-awaited framework bill aimed at ending the PKK's decades-long armed struggle will be submitted to parliament soon.
THE ANKARA TEST: NATO’S MOST CONSEQUENTIAL SUMMIT IN A GENERATION
The upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, scheduled for July 7-8 at the Beştepe Presidential Complex, arrives at a moment of growing tension within the alliance driven largely by the Trump administration’s transactional approach to collective defense.