[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Turkey and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Turkey Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to turkey@jadaliyya.com by Sunday night of every week.]
English
Power Struggle over Prep Schools
Erdoğan Now at Odds With Once-Closest Ally“The Gülen sympathizers who helped Erdoğan get rid of soldiers from politics are now disappointed to see that Erdoğan does not want any shareholders of power alongside himself,” says Murat Yetkin.
Gülen's Biggest Strategic Mistake Ruşen Çakır argues that the AKP’s insistence on the shutting down of prep schools is tied to its conflict with the Gülen movement after the MİT crisis.
Turkey's Dominant Political Coalition Shows Signs of Fraying Emre Peker and Joe Parkinson write that the recent developments “[threaten] to fray the largely conservative coalition that has dominated the nation's politics for more than a decade.”
To Leave a Brief Mark in History: An Open Letter to Prime Minister Erdoğan In his open letter Ekrem Dumanlı asks Prime Minister Erdoğan not to close prep schools.
AK Party: Centrist or Radical? İhsan Dağı argues that the closure of prep schools is the most recent example of the AKP’s authoritarian intervention in the public sphere.
I, The Supreme Yavuz Baydar criticizes Prime Minister Erdoğan’s decision related to prep schools and also addresses domestic and international politics.
Erdoğan Has to Respect Civil Society“Erdoğan's most recent initiative to bring civil society under control is draft legislation to close down private cram schools,” writes Şahin Alpay.
Did Erdogan Say "Shut Up" to General Eruygur? (1)-(2) Emre Uslu writes about a document signed between Erdoğan and military generals in 2004 that allegedly sought to remove Gülen sympathizers from bureaucratic posts.
Prep School Conundrum Fatma Dişli Zıbak argues that shutting down these schools will not solve the problems of the Turkish education system.
Prep School Row not Prepping Turkey for Better Future Emre Deliveli writes that prep schools have become a necessity in a malfunctioning education system.
Looking at the Present From the Future Cafer Solgun contends that Turkey fails to discuss the most pressing social issues, such as the new constitution and the peace process.
Educational Controversies Nicole Pope suggests that the AKP’s plan to shut down prep schools is an unprepared, unsubstantiated, and fruitless decision.
Questions for the Government Bülent Keneş criticizes Erdoğan’s decision to shut down prep schools, and finds it a patronizing decision since he did not consider society’s needs and demands.
Erdoğan vs. Gülen Serkan Demirtaş considers the bigger picture behind the prep school debate.
Turkey's AKP-Gülen Conflict in Context Rasim Ozan Kutahyalı argues that the conflict between the AKP and the Gülen movement is a power struggle over the control of the state.
Why Doesn't the AKP Lose Any Votes? Etyen Mahçupyan argues that despite the conservative unrest caused by the shutting down of prep schools, Erdoğan's ability to remain close to the citizens society makes him an authentic and reliable figure.
When Paths Part… Commenting on the prep school issue, Orhan Miroğlu writes that it is the duty of any elected government to come up with policies that “do not make people feel as if they are being strangled.”
Nuclear Deal Between P5+1 and Iran
Iran Deal May Encourage More Humble Turkish Foreign Policy The nuclear agreement between Iran and P5+1 may be a wake-up call for Turkey, who might reconsider its own foreign policy after its failures in Syria, writes Karabekir Akkoyunlu.
Iran Deal Overshadows Turkey-Egypt Issues“The nuclear deal between P5+1 and Iran is likely to be change the bigger picture in the Middle East once again,” says Murat Yetkin.
Turkey after the Iran Deal Joost Lagendijk argues the real test for Turkey’s foreign policy will be how it copes with the effects of the Iran deal on Syria.
Iran Nuclear Accord Requires Secular "Reset" of Turkey's Foreign Policy After the deal, Kadri Gürsel claims that Turkey can play an active role in the region if and only if it adopts a secular foreign policy.
Turkey and Iran as Partners for Peace Semih İdiz argues that the Iran deal will benefit Turkey not only economically, but also politically.
Foreign Policy
The Davutoğlu Charm Offensive“Despite some new messages from Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, a ‘reset’ of Turkey’s foreign policy seems a stretch,” Kadri Gürsel writes.
Turkey, the West, and the Rest Analyzing Turkey’s shifting foreign policy, Nuray Mert argues that “Erdoğan has never given up on his mission to become the voice of the Muslim world.”
Turkey Resets Ties With US Semih İdiz contends that the AKP government is trying to reset its position in the international arena.
Turkish Foreign Ministry Becomes of Lonely Men Koray Çalışkan criticizes Turkey’s foreign policy, deploring the AKP’s lack of diplomatic ties in the Middle East.
Diyarbakir Meeting
Organizing the Kurdish Opposition Doğu Ergil analyzes the Kurdish opposition parties including the PKK, Hüda-Par, and the PDK-Bakur (The North Kurdistan Democratic Party).
New Party Linked to Barzani Makes Play for Turkey's Kurds Fehim Taştekin comments on the plans of KDP-Bakur, a group linked to the Kurdistan Regional Government (Iraq), to become a formal party in Turkey.
Prime Minister's Miracles“If we take a moment to recall that the government has for months now not taken any meaningful steps in terms of peace-building, Diyarbakır actually represented less a miracle than a step away from delusion and mistakenness,” Cengiz Aktar argues.
Turkey Rethinks State-Run Kurdish Paramilitary Force If the peace process gains traction, the status of the state-backed Kurdish village guards will be questioned, Susanne Güsten writes.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Jailed Cartoons of Turkey Pınar Tremblay writes about political cartoons and other forms of graphic protests, which criticize Erdoğan and his policies (see also this slideshow on Turkey's political cartoons).
AKP: Neither Conservative, nor not Conservative Verda Özer comments on the AKP’s unique way of conservatism, which does not match the definition of conservatism.
Criminalizing Social Media Users Commenting on the detention of actor Barış Atay, Mehveş Evin argues that Gezi-related interrogations and court cases are extremely problematic when it comes to respecting the law and human rights.
Turkey's Shopping Center Passion Continues Turkey has 109.6 square meters of mall space per one thousand people, and it is the second after Russia in Europe in terms of space allocated for newly opened shopping malls, Jale Özgentürk writes.
Old Habits Die Hard in Turkey Abdullah Bozkurt argues that instead of designing state structures based on principles and values with strong checks and balances, the AKP government is reshuffling power from one group to another.
Rojava (the Place Where the Kurds' Sun Sets) Doğu Ergil comments on the PYD (Democratic Union Party)’s announcement that it will declare autonomous rule in Azaz, Tel Abyad, and Jarabulus in Syria.
Turkish
Power Struggle Over Prep Schools
Gülen’i bitirme planıTaraf daily published a document prepared by the National Security Council (MGK) on 25 August 2004, counseling the government to apply measures against the Gülen Community.
Hükümet vücudunu siper etti Yalçın Akdoğan, Erdoğan’s chief advisor, defends the government, claiming: “yes, we signed the document but we did not apply it.”
MGK kararları uygulandı mı Responding to Yalçın Akdoğan’s claim, Emre Uslu argues that the government both signed and applied the document.
Cemaat-hükümet meydan muharebesi: Yeni notlar ve sorular Rusen Çakır writes down his new notes and questions about the battle between the Gülen Community and the government.
Cemaat ve siyaset (1)-(2) Ali Bayramoğlu argues that the prep schools struggle does not take place between a political power and a civil structure but between “two political configurations.”
AKP'nin elinde Gülen cemaatini bitirecek bir arşiv mi var? An interview with Ahmet Şık, a journalist who was detained for a year in 2011-2012 due his book on the Gülen community.
Demokrasi bu kavganın neresinde? Reflecting on the struggle between the AKP and the Gülen community over the prep schools, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş asks: “in this conflict where is democracy?”
AK Parti-cemaat kavgasının geleceği Cüneyt Özdemir comments on the future of the conflict between the AKP government and the Gülen community.
'Tek Adam' ile 'Cemaat'… Cengiz Çandar writes that the prep school quarrel is Erdoğan’s latest political mistake.
Sayın Başbakan sizden ne istedik de verdiniz? A comprehensive interview with Bülent Keneş, the editor-in-chief of Today's Zaman, who has become the target of the AKP.
9 soruda cemaat-hukümet kavgasının arkeolojisi ve geleceğiİsmet Berkan explains the future of the quarrel between the community and the government in nine questions.
Kürt olma sırası Cemaat’te Mücahit Bilici argues that the Gülen community is taking on the scapegoat position of the Kurds.
Ya dershaneler? Murat Belge criticizes those who support the community against the government.
Dershanesiz,sınavsız bir eğitim! Ertuğrul Kürkçü, co-chair of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), explains the party’s position on the conflict over the prep schools.
Extrajudicial Killings and Forced Disappearances
Ergenekon'un Öteki Yüzü: Faili Meçhuller ve Kayıplar A comprehensive report on “The Other Side of Ergenekon: Extrajudicial Killings and Forced Disappearances.”
Tecavüzden işkence ve infaza Ergenekon’da Kürt dosyası Murat Sabuncu draws attention to TESEV’s report on extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances.
JİTEM belgeleri neden 'devlet sırrı' gerekçesiyle koruma altında? Reflecting upon TESEV’s report, Ali Bayramoğlu asks why JITEM documents are still kept top-secret by the government.
Türkiye “Kuşkonar'ı Bombalamaktan” AİHM’de Mahkum ECHR found Turkey guilty of “bombarding Kumçatı and Koçağlı villages in 1994.”
Hakikatin Gücü, Barışmanın İmkânı Hülya Dinçer asks how Kumçatı and Koçağlı villagers can make peace with a state that has deliberately ignored and disregarded their communities’ deaths for twenty years.
Diyarbakır Meeting
Şûtik a Barzaniİrfan Aktan argues that the government and the state regard Kurdish nationalism as the trojan horse to split the PKK.
Qamişlo'nun huzuru, Başbakan'ın sorunu Cuma Çiçek comments on the phrase Erdoğan uttered in Diyarbakır: “The tranquility of Diyarbakır is the tranquility of Erbil and Qamişlo.”
Başbakan’ın Diyarbakır gösterisi ve Rojava (1) Gençay Gürsoy argues that the setup of the Diyarbakır meeting is a masterpiece, yet it has dark and malicious intentions.
Kader What if Turkey does lose the PKK, Etyen Mahçupyan asks.
Geçmişle yüzleşme ve özür Sedat Yurtdaş asks whether the Diyarbakır meeting implies that Turkey is willing to face its colonial history and apologize for it.
Doğru tutum almak…Ömer Ağın examines the attitude related to Rojava.
HDP and “Becoming Turkish”
Türkiyelileşme siyaseti üzerine yeniden Erol Katırcıoğlu comments on the Kurdish Movement’s policy to “become Turkish” (Türkiyelileşmek) through the People’s Democratic Party (HDP).
Kürt siyasetinin bitmeyen sevdası: Türkiyelileşmek Mehmet Emin Aktar criticizes the Kurdish Movement’s intention to “become Turkish” (Türkiyelileşmek) and calls it “endless love.”
Blacklisting the Gezi Protestors
Gezi’den kalanlar ve farklı bir analiz Tolga Şardan reveals a police report about Gezi protesters which claims that seventy-eight percent of them were Alevis.
En uzun yüzyılımız: 'Asr-ı fişleme' Ayşe Hür historicizes the blacklisting carried out in the massacres, deportations, and coup d’etats in modern Turkish history.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Aile ve toplumsal değerler Nazan Ustundağ reflects on the public debate over co-ed student houses.
Yeni Türk kimliği Müslüman milliyetçiliğidir ve İslami burjuvazi inşa eder An interview with Jenny White on her latest book Muslim Nationalism and the New Turks.
Makyaj Yapmaya Nasıl Başladım? An interview with Eren Keskin, a well-known Kurdish-born lawyer and human rights activist in Turkey, who co-founded the project “Legal Aid for Women who Were Raped or Otherwise Sexually Abused by National Security Forces.”
İran'ın manevrası, Türkiye'nin durumu Mete Çubukçu discusses the deal reached in Geneva between Iran and the P5+1 and its effects on Turkey.
Muhafazakâr ulema! Kadın cinayetlerinde parmak izleriniz var… Oya Baydar holds “conservative ulemas” responsible for the increase in the murders of females in Turkey.
Kemalizm son on yılda iyice karikatürleşmişti ki… An interview with Doğan Gürpınar on the history of Turkey’s intellectuals, the role of social media, and the consequences of the Gezi uprising.
"Andımız" anayasasıyla "kral çıplak" demek mümkün mü?Şükrü Hanioğlu advocates for a culturally blind universalism.
Published on Jadaliyya
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