The Plight of the Syrian Refugees in Turkey
This month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) revised the number of officially registered Syrian refugees who are living inside Turkey; that number has now surpassed the 1.8...
View ArticleINTERVIEW: Critical period for Hizbullah in Turkey’s tense southeast
William Armstrong’s Interview with Mustafa Gurbuz appeared in Hurriyet Daily News on June 20, 2015 Violence that erupted in Turkey’s southeast before and after the recent election has raised fears of a...
View ArticleIs Turkey Headed into a Syrian Quagmire?
By offering Incirlik to Washington, Erdoğan not only highlights his unique position, but he also takes steps toward further involvement in northern Syria. As Turkey has agreed to allow the United...
View ArticleTurkey’s Double War on ISIS and PKK
Monday Talk interview with Mustafa Gurbuz appeared in Vocal International on August 2, 2015 *Giving the current operation conducted by Turkey against the PKK and the statement made by some of the...
View ArticleRepeat elections in Turkey: Erdogan’s hope for survival
For the first time in its democratic history, Turkey faces repeat elections. The four parties in the parliament (AKP, CHP, MHP and HDP) have failed to form a (coalition) government that could secure a...
View ArticleTurkey’s Syria Strategy: All About Domestic Politics?
The prospects for a coalition government in Turkey have faded away, and Turks are about to witness yet another election — the fourth poll in the past two years. The rise of the pro-Kurdish People’s...
View ArticleWhat’s Happening in Turkey?
In a gradual but alarming drift, Turkey has been experiencing very difficult turbulence since the Gezi protests in 2013. The outcome of the June 7, 2015 general elections was the first election defeat...
View ArticleIndependent Journalism in Turkey Faces Increasing Censorship Pressures
Turkey’s domestic political environment has become ever more difficult to decode for international observers. Attacks on prominent newspapers like the recent physical assault on staff members of...
View ArticleTurkey’s Experience with Voting from Abroad in the 2014 and 2015 Elections
Voting from abroad (VFA), also known as out-of-country voting, external voting or external franchise, has become a popular phenomenon. Currently, around 120 countries have provisions for external...
View ArticleTurkey’s Snap Elections 2015: Explaining the AKP Victory
KADIR YILDIRIM AND MUSTAFA GURBUZ Takeaways The ruling AKP has won Turkey’s repeat general elections, regaining their parliamentary majority with 315 seats after five months of coalition talks and...
View ArticleTurkey-Russia Spat: What Does it Mean in the Long Term?
Turkey’s spat with Russia is not a spontaneous act. The recent tensions will hurt coalition efforts against the Islamic State (ISIS, Daesh), delaying a diplomatic solution in Syria. The post...
View ArticlePolarization and Politicization of Turkish Public Opinion
By the end of January 2016, the results of two public opinion surveys had been announced, one right after the other. The first was the annual survey on Social and Political Trends in Turkey conducted...
View ArticleResurgence of the Kurdish Conflict in Turkey: How Kurds View It
The ongoing conflict in Syria and the Kurdish struggle in the northern part of the country have triggered increased participation of Kurdish youth in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Turkish...
View ArticleThe Reality of Turkey’s Pakistanization
The Turkish capital, Ankara, is rocked with bombs yet again. The details of the attack on March 11 such as the perpetrators and their motive are important and intriguing to know, yet this latest...
View ArticleUpdate: Persecution of the Gülen Movement in Turkey
The Gülen (a.k.a Hizmet) movement, a faith-based community, has been subject to political persecution for more than two years by the Turkish government since they stood up against corruption and...
View ArticleSplendor of the State: Celebrating the Conquest of Istanbul
Michael Foucault (2007) assumed that the splendor of the state belongs to an archaic form of power. Yet, it is a significant component of the exercise of power. Both constitutional monarchies and...
View ArticleRepeat elections in Turkey: Erdogan’s hope for survival
For the first time in its democratic history, Turkey faces repeat elections. The four parties in the parliament (AKP, CHP, MHP and HDP) have failed to form a (coalition) government that could secure a...
View ArticleTurkey’s Syria Strategy: All About Domestic Politics?
The prospects for a coalition government in Turkey have faded away, and Turks are about to witness yet another election — the fourth poll in the past two years. The rise of the pro-Kurdish People’s...
View ArticleIndependent Journalism in Turkey Faces Increasing Censorship Pressures
Turkey’s domestic political environment has become ever more difficult to decode for international observers. Attacks on prominent newspapers like the recent physical assault on staff members of...
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