INTELLIGENCE CHIEF MEETS WITH SYRIAN PRESIDENT SHARAA
At a time when the U.S. is mediating talks between Israel and Syria in London, the head of Turkish Intelligence İbrahim Kalın met with President Ahmed al‑Sharaa in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
TEKİN
In Old Turkic, tegin was the stuff of inscriptions and dynasties, carved into the 8th-century Orkhon Inscriptions beside names like Kül Tegin. It meant prince, heir, royal son. However, Mahmud al-Kaşgarî, the first lexicographer of the Turkish language, reminds us that these gilded offspring referred to themselves as “kul,” or servant, when addressing their father in a ritual display of humility, claiming that “tekin” meant “humble servant.”
CHP SEES HOPE IN ANKARA DECISION BUT FUTURE STILL IN LIMBO
An Ankara court on Sept. 11 overturned the ruling that appointed an interim committee to run the main opposition party’s Istanbul branch. According to the CHP, the decision from the Ankara 3rd Civil Court of First Instance effectively nullified the earlier ruling of the Istanbul 45th Civil Court, in line with CHP’s argument that only an Ankara court can rule since the party’s headquarters are in Ankara. Yet, the decision can be appealed in a higher court.
SDF DIGS IN ALONG BORDERLINES
Following the suspension of the Paris talks by the Damascus government, the SDF, which advocates decentralized government in Syria, increased its activity in Raqqa, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, and along the Turkish border after holding a conference in Hasakah with prominent Druze and Alawite figures, Turkish state-owned Anadolu News Agency reported on Sept. 5.
THE REDISCOVERY OF HİKMET ÇETİN
In Turkish, there is a saying: “to rediscover America,” similar to reinventing the wheel in English. It means to re-examine something that is already known and established. It carries a negative connotation. To those who act in this way, people often ask mockingly:“Are you trying to rediscover America?”
ISTANBUL GOVERNORSHIP CANCELS ENRICO MACIAS CONCERT
Istanbul’s governorship has cancelled a Sept. 5 concert by French-Algerian singer Enrico Macias at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater following calls on social media to protest the event.
COURT OUSTS CHP’S ISTANBUL BOARD OVER BALLOT-RIGGING ALLEGATIONS
An Istanbul court has dissolved the main opposition CHP’s provincial board in the city, suspended its chair Özgür Çelik, and halted the party’s congress process amid ballot-rigging claims.
NO INTEREST RATE CUTS WITHOUT INFLATION UNDER CONTROL
Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan said interest rate cuts can only be effective when inflation is under control.
ÖZEL PULLS NO PUNCHES ON JUDICIARY
CHP Chair Özgür Özel sharply attacked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç and Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek during a protest over the arrest of Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney.
OPPOSITION NATIONALISTS: PROSPECT OF A COMMON FRONT
Is cooperation among nationalist parties possible? What are the prospects and obstacles? Turkish politics has been polarized into two main blocs since the transition to the presidential system: the AKP on one side and the CHP on the other. While the AKP kept parties like the MHP, BBP, and HÜDA-Par in its orbit, the CHP advanced by forging open or tacit alliances with the DEM Party and İYİ Party. But this opposition front collapsed after the defeat in the 2023 elections.
SELÇUK BAYRAKTAR AGAIN TURKEY'S TOP TAXPAYER
The Revenue Administration has announced the top income taxpayers in 2024, with most names once again kept confidential. For the fourth year in a row, Baykar Chair of the Board Selçuk Bayraktar, who is also President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law, ranked first, paying 2.77 billion lira in income tax.
TRİP YAPMAK
With TRIPP, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, dominating global headlines, it feels only right to turn our gaze to its Turkish near-homonym: trip atmak or trip yapmak. No, this is not another geopolitical acronym. In Turkish slang, trip is a native borrowing of English, stripped of tourist connotations and recast to mean sulky attitude. (Do watch the TikTok video for a full explanation) You can atmak (“throw”) a trip, a sudden sulk, or yapmak (“make”) one, meaning a longer, more orchestrated performance with a few dismissive or harsh words thrown in. Both have elbowed aside the more traditional surat asmak (“to pout”).