Ahmet Davutoğlu
All topics-
Freedom of the pressTurkey's Pelican group – Erdoganʹs state within a state?
After Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government set its sights on critical news outlet OdaTV, several of its journalists now face harsh prison sentences. Is Turkey's president using a secret group to control judges? By Hulya Schenk & Daniel Derya Bellut
-
Turkey's snap electionThe calculus of alliances
The upcoming ballot in Turkey on 24 June will be a race between the People's Alliance, formed to keep Erdogan president, versus the Nation Alliance, which aims to beat him or at least win a parliamentary majority. The result, however, depends on a third party, the pro-Kurdish HDP. Ayse Karabat reports from Istanbul
-
Erdogan and Turkish foreign policyNeo-Ottoman rumblings
In the past few months Turkish President Erdogan has repeatedly called the borders of Turkey into question and implicitly laid claim to neighbouring territories. While such statements are mainly aimed at his own citizens, the neighbouring states are getting nervous, particularly now that Erdogan has dispatched troops to Syria and Iraq. By Ulrich von Schwerin
-
EU-Turkey dealThe alternative is Idomeni
Instead of mocking Merkel as a "pushover", those concerned with the welfare of refugees would do better to throw their weight behind realising her plan. Otherwise, we could see Europe adopting the Victor Orban model, the consequences of which can already been seen. Commentary by Daniel Bax
-
Turkey′s campaign against the PKKSiege tactics
Hundreds dead, whole districts reduced to rubble. That’s the outcome of Turkey′s military campaign in its south-east. For two months now, the predominantly Kurdish region has been under a curfew imposed by the Turkish army. Tom Stevenson reports from Diyarbakir
-
Turkish general electionErdogan′s second chance
Can Recep Tayyip Erdogan distance himself from the paternalistic style of government he has favoured in the past? Having been granted a considerable mandate by the Turkish population at the beginning of November, those in the AKP administration can surely afford to take a more benign approach to minority groups and those advocating peaceful dissent. By Sinan Ulgen
-
Turkey′s general electionPeace a top priority
In elections in June, the AK Party lost its absolute majority in the Turkish parliament – and President Erdogan lost his grip on unrestrained power. His critics consider him one of the fomenters of the violent chaos now plaguing the country. By Timur Tinc
-
The Ankara bombingPresaging the end of the Turkish Republic?
What we have witnessed in the last two years, culminating in the horrible scenes of 10 October in Ankara, is the end of the Turkish Republic as we know it. A commentary by Umut Ozkirimli
-
Erdogan and the Kurdish conflictA battle for votes
For a brief moment, NATO allies thought they were witnessing a major policy turnaround when Turkey finally joined the campaign against Islamic State. But in actual fact, Ankara's first priority appears to be to move against the PKK and the HDP, the pro-Kurdish party that prevented President Erdogan's party from retaining its parliamentary majority. By Markus Bernath
-
Kurds in IraqWhen hope turns to fear
By extending its airstrikes against the terror organisation IS to include Kurdish militant PKK targets, Turkey risks escalating conflict with other Kurdish groups in the region. The Iraqi Kurds are worried. By Birgit Svensson in Irbil
-
Parliamentary election in TurkeyAn absolute majority hangs in the balance
Turkey goes to the polls on 7 June. Its ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is seeking an unprecedented fourth successive general election victory on a platform of wanting to turn Turkey into a presidential system. The AKP has an outstanding electoral track record, but with an ailing economy, without its charismatic leader and faced with a revamped opposition, could this be the end of its absolute majority? By Dorian Jones in Istanbul
-
The German Empire and the Armenian genocideTurning a blind eye
On 24 April, people all over the world will commemorate the mass killing of Armenians 100 years ago. A memorial service is planned in Germany as well. Many critics contend, however, that the country should take a closer look at the role played by the German Empire, which was an ally of the Ottoman Empire at the time of the massacres. By Ceyda Nurtsch
