AKP'S TRANSFER POLICY: SOME GAINS MAY BE GREAT LOSSES
In football, the transfer window closed Sept. 4. But in politics, it remains wide open as the AKP presses on with a campaign of seduction and coercion unprecedented in Turkish political history.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
CRITICS QUESTION TURKEY'S RECORD PISA RESULTS
The Education Ministry hailed the latest educational achievement results as a 'historic success,' reporting that the nation became the fastest-climbing OECD country across all subjects, surpassing average scores in the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessment of science and reading.
BAN FOR ACADEMICS ON ONLINE MONETIZATION
The Higher Education Council (YÖK) has effectively barred academics at public universities from monetizing content on YouTube and digital platforms, classifying online revenue as commercial trade, which is illegal for civil servants.
PRO-GOVERNMENT YENİ ŞAFAK DEVOTES FULL FRONT PAGE TO BLASTING MEHMET ŞİMŞEK
The pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak devoted its entire front page on Sept. 9 to a scathing critique of Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek and his policies, urging immediate shifts including tax overhauls and fuel subsidies.
AFTER BACKING HIS REMARKS AT COURT, DAVUTOĞLU INVITES ERDOĞAN
For the first time in Turkish history, a former prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, was summoned for criticizing the president and then he invited President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to his son’s wedding ceremony.
GÖKÇEK PROBE EXPANDS TO SON, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AND 36 TENDER COMPANIES
Ahmet and Hülya Gökçek, the son and daughter-in-law of former Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek, were questioned as suspects on Sept. 7 and released under judicial control with a ban on leaving Turkey.
TREASON THEN, TARGET NOW: GOVERNMENT REVIVES BRIDGE PRIVATIZATION
The government has put the lucrative Bosphorus bridges and major state highways back on sale 14 years after cancelling a similar tender. The move comes as medium-term plans include significantly higher privatization revenue in the coming years.
THE MECCA TRAP: WHY TURKEY'S NEW PACT BETRAYS ITS OWN INTERESTS
The Mecca Joint defense Agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan at the beginning of last month came as a surprise to many, although Turkey was interested in joining the defense agreement signed by the latter two a year ago. The new agreement goes further than defense cooperation due to a collective security pledge modelled on NATO’s famous Article 5.
PEACE COMES WITH A CATALOGUE
In Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove, the American president interrupts a scuffle between General Buck Turgidson and the Soviet ambassador with an appeal to institutional dignity. “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.”
TURKEY STANDS TO PASS US LOYALTY TEST
The Trump administration has handed NATO allies a list of questions within the framework of an ongoing six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe.
US SANCTIONS TURKISH BANK AND LOGISTICS FIRMS OVER IRAN
US authorities have designated a Turkish investment bank and three Istanbul-based logistics companies under targeted sanctions for allegedly facilitating illicit Iranian financial transfers and supporting Tehran's aviation network.
ISRAEL'S NEW ANKARA ENVOY WAS BEHIND JUNE DECISION THAT ANGERED ANKARA
Joel Lion, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi and close associate of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, presented his credentials in Ankara on Sept. 9 and left the same day after attending a US Independence Day reception.