MINISTER PLEDGES RESPONSE TO WAVE OF SCHOOL VIOLENCE
The education minister described a wave of lethal violence in schools as a “sickness” and suggested social media is to blame.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
TURKEY'S MARKET REGULATOR MOVES TO CURB HEDGE FUND MANIPULATION AS INDEX GIANT SETS DEADLINE
Turkey's Capital Markets Board (SPK) is tightening its grip on investment funds and the stock market under new chair Mahmut Sütcü in response to domestic and international calls for a clampdown on manipulation.
TWO CRITICAL MONTHS IN KURDISH PROCESS
Parliament will take up legislation in response to the PKK’s decision to dissolve and lay down its arms agenda after the Ramadan holiday.
HIGH-STAKES DIPLOMACY: ERDOĞAN’S WHITE HOUSE VISIT AND ITS STRATEGIC COSTS
There is a way of establishing a working relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. First you have to make sure you see him as a smart, respectable world leader. That’s the easy part. Then you have to lure him with trade deals, making sure he is the winning side. Therefore, it comes as no surprise when Turkey unilaterally dropped its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products on Sept. 22, a few days before the scheduled meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Buzzwords are important for Trump, and tariff is one of them. The tariffs, which covered products including passenger cars, fruit, rice, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, solid fuels, and chemical products, were introduced in 2018 in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports enacted during Trump's first term in office.
FROM FIRE TO LEGAL FRAMEWORK: PARLIAMENT BEGINS PEACE PROCESS TALKS
In a symbolic act seen by many as the first step toward a “terror-free Turkey,” a 30-member group affiliated with the PKK ceremonially burned their weapons and gear in front of a fire sacred to Kurds, initiating a process expected to proceed through mutual steps. In response, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş invited political party representatives to a July 18 meeting to discuss forming a parliamentary commission tasked with drafting the legal framework for this new peace initiative.
INDIA AND PAKISTAN: TWO RELATIVES AND A DISTANT COUSIN, TURKEY
The recent terror attack in Kashmir and the subsequent tension between India and Pakistan have returned this decades-old rivalry to the spotlight. Events quickly spiralled into a dangerously charged standoff, with India’s initial reaction—withdrawing from the Indus Water Treaty—drawing a fierce response from Pakistan, which even hinted at the possibility of nuclear retaliation.
F-16S AND AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS TO NORTHERN CYPRUS
In response to the reinforcement of defense in Southern Cyprus by Greece and some European countries due to the Iran conflict, Turkey deployed F-16 fighter jets and additional air defense systems to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) for the first time in 28 years.
TWO CRITICAL MONTHS IN KURDISH PROCESS
Parliament will take up legislation in response to the PKK’s decision to dissolve and lay down its arms agenda after the Ramadan holiday. PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan has called for the adoption of “peace laws” as a condition for transition. While the DEM Party insists that the legal framework should be adopted before the end of March, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pointed to April, saying he expects the PKK to take more concrete steps.
ÖZEL STEPS UP STREET RESISTANCE CALLS
CHP Chair Özgür Özel escalated his rhetoric, urging people to take to the streets in response to what he described as a diminishing role for Parliament. Addressing crowds at public rallies and budget debates in Parliament, Özel emphasized the historic weight of legislative authority. “The right to control the budget is humanity’s greatest democratic achievement. Parliament is not born of the budget — the budget is born of Parliament,” he said.
CYPRUS VOTE TRIGGERS NATIONALIST FURY IN TURKEY
Recent election results in Northern Cyprus have stirred visible unease within Turkey’s ruling alliance, particularly in the far-right MHP, even as the AKP maintained a controlled response, delivering expected statements despite its apparent preferences.
ELECTION BOARD STANDS FIRM, SAYS CONGRESS CANNOT BE HALTED
The High Election Council (YSK) reaffirmed its authority on Sept. 24, rejecting a civil court ruling that sought to halt the CHP’s Istanbul Provincial Congress just minutes before it began.In response to the 45th Civil Court of First Instance's last-minute suspension order, the YSK convened urgently and issued a clear statement: “A congress already in progress cannot be stopped.”
İP
İp (noun, rope, as in noose) made a dramatic entrance into Turkey’s political lexicon this week when the İyi Party’s new-ish leader, Müsavat Dervişoğlu, hurled a noose at MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli. This came in response to Bahçeli’s suggestion that PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan could be granted certain privileges—potentially even addressing Parliament—if he were to publicly call for the PKK’s dissolution. (For details, see last and this week’s Deep Dive.)