SAUDI ARABIA LISTS HELP NEEDED UNDER MECCA PACT
Saudi Arabia has sent Ankara a list of the assistance it wants to defend against Houthi attacks in Yemen under the Mecca Defense Agreement.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
THE WEIGHT OF SOVEREIGNTY
On Jan. 20, 1921, as the War of Independence was still being fought, the Grand National Assembly adopted a Constitution whose first article began: Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation (Hâkimiyet bilâ kaydü şart milletindir). On Oct. 29, 1923, the assembly added another sentence to that same article: The form of government of the Turkish state is the Republic (Türkiye Devletinin şekl-i hükûmeti Cumhuriyettir).
ALIYEV DOUBLES DOWN AS ANKARA REMAINS OVERLY CONCILIATORY
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, declined President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s invitation to attend the summit of the Organization of Turkic States, scheduled for the day after Turkey’s Republic Day, marking one of the biggest crises in the two countries' close relationship. Despite Ankara’s visible steps to defuse the recent tension, his refusal to come on a date carrying symbolic importance for Turkey attests to the changing dynamics in the relationship since the military victory over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.
JOURNALISTS TAKE TO THE STREETS AS CRACKDOWN CONTINUES FULL-FLEDGED ON MEDIA
Journalists will take to the streets on Oct. 24 to urge the government to end the detentions, arrests, blockages, access bans and all kinds of pressure on media members as the crackdown escalated after the liquidation of investment funds.
R4+E3 DEBUTS IN ISTANBUL: A SHORT AGENDA AND A SPEECH ON ALL THE WORLD’S PROBLEMS FROM TURKEY’S TOP DIPLOMAT
Eight ministers will take up four regional files at their first joint meeting. Their host, Turkey, plans to raise nearly every other problem on the international agenda, all in a single day.
NAME DISPUTE OVER, PROVINCIAL CONGRESSES WILL TEST YENİ PARTY’S PROMISES
The Constitutional Court ended discussions about the Yeni Party’s name, but headquarters-backed candidates keep winning in the districts and provinces despite the promises to end the old CHP habit of central control.
PEACE PROCESS STALLS AGAIN
The parliament has not established a commission to monitor progress on the surrender of weapons and personnel by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, and Kurdish groups are complaining the process is stalled.
A MONTH ON, NO ONE HELD TO ACCOUNT FOR FUND SCANDAL
Several weeks have passed since the fund scandal broke, but no official responsible has been arrested or fired. One investigation permit has been granted for a former official, while the government is in a hurry to complete the legal steps that would put an end to the scandal.
CENTRAL BANK FX SWAP DEPENDENCY FALLS SHARPLY
The central bank’s reliance on foreign exchange swaps has dropped sharply, marking a structural improvement in the quality of the bank’s international reserves.
CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS CENTRAL BANK FX STRATEGY
Statements attributed to Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan during IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok sparked debate over foreign exchange policy, prompting a direct denial from a top market economist who attended the session.
ROUND UP THE USUAL PARTNERS
“Casablanca” ends on a fogbound airfield. The plane to Lisbon has gone, and the idealists with it. What remains is a cynic and a prefect of police, each of whom has just discovered how useful the other might be. “Louis,” says Rick, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
HALK TV’S FATE, ITS EMPLOYEES AND ITS OWNER
Halk TV has been seized. Its broadcasts have been suspended. In effect, this means shutting the channel down. You might ask: “Why seize a television channel like this? We no longer live in the era of a single broadcaster. People can watch whichever channel they want. If they don’t like it, they can switch it off.” But is it really that simple? No.