[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
Constitutional Court Decision and the National Intelligence Organization Law
Erdoğan vs Twitter (1)-(2) Yavuz Baydar points that the AKP government started to demonize the Constitutional Court after it issued a ruling stating that the Twitter ban was an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.
"The Court" and "The Agency" Nuray Mert writes that the AKP government seeks to curb the power of the Constitutional Court and judiciary and extend the power of intelligence.
The Unbearable Weight of Politics Taha Akyol argues that the attacks against the Constitutional Court are indeed against the independence of the judiciary.
Erdoğan Takes on Central Bank, Judiciary Cengiz Çandar comments on Erdoğan’s interference with the Constitutional Court on the Twitter decision and with the Central Bank on interest rates.
Is Turkey Reverting to a "Muhabera"' State? According to Fehim Taştekin, Erdoğan’s interference with the judiciary and the new bill could signal a return to the intelligence state.
Turkey’s Battle With Twitter“If the Turkish government tries to compel Twitter to reveal the users’ identities, the company should certainly strongly resist what is clearly a politically motivated action,” the Times writes.
New Constitutional Court, New Tutelage? Osman Can claims that since its establishment in 1962, the Constitutional Court had not produced a single juridical decision in favor of democracy or freedom.
The Last Castle Under Fire Orhan Kemal Cengiz comments on the Constitutional Court’s decision on the ban of Twitter and draft law about the National Intelligence Organization.
Why Conservatives Now Love the Leviathan Mustafa Akyol comments on the new law related to the National Intelligence Organization and criticizes pro-AKP religious conservatives' non-critical stance towards this law.
Turkey Is in A State of Crisis According to Lale Kemal, the new law, which gives extraordinary powers and legal immunity to the National Intelligence Organization, would turn Turkey into an intelligence state.
From Local Elections to Presidential Elections
A Most Weird New Polarization in Turkey (1)-(2)-(3) Murat Yetkin argues that the presidential elections will bring a polarization within the AKP—those in favor of Erdoğan versus those in favor of Gül.
Options for the Presidency Mustafa Akyol presents four possible scenarios for the presidential elections in August.
The Erdoğan/Gül Prisoner Dilemma Examining presidential elections from the perspective of game theory, Aaron Stein claims that Erdoğan and Gül will continue to cooperate.
Possible Presidential Scenarios and a Question Cafer Solgun argues that Erdoğan cannot be a fair and impartial candidate for presidential elections without legally facing corruption allegations.
The December 17 Scandal is Far From Over Semih İdiz argues that election results have not cleaned the AKP, and that graft allegations continue to haunt Erdoğan.
De Facto Semi-Presidential System and Erdoğan Serdar Karagöz argues that results of local elections show Erdoğan as the next potential president.
New Turkey and Its Paradox (1)-(2)Ömer Taşpınar argues that New Turkey's paradox is that Erdoğan is the only hope for solving the Kurdish problem, though he is becoming increasingly authoritarian.
Turkey: Local Elections with Regional and International Implications The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies’ assessment report on local elections and the AKP’s victory.
Mardin Elects Twenty-Five-Year Old Christian Woman as Mayor Susanne Güsten writes on Februniye Akyol, a twenty-five-year-old Syriac Christian, who was elected co-mayor of Mardin from the BDP as the first Christian woman mayor in a metropolitan municipality.
From Child Bride to Mayor, Berivan Kılıç Tells Her Story Tülin Daloğlu reports the story of Berivan Kılıç, who went through an abusive marriage and divorce, and became the first woman co-mayor of Kocakoy, Diyarbakir elected from the BDP.
The Structural Tendencies of Voting Behaviour According to Hatem Ete, voters have aligned themselves on the basis of status quo versus change.
Alarm Bells are Ringing for the CHP (1)-(2) Sedat Ergin analyzes the distribution of the CHP’s votes geographically and comments on the tactical alliance between the CHP and MHP in some cities.
Why Did the CHP Lose the Elections? Hilal Kaplan argues that the CHP is doomed to fail because it has an ambivalent character and statist reflexes, and it does not present a vision or reliable project.
The Turkish Political Landscape and the CHP Taha Özhan examines the obstacles for the CHP to expand its constituency geographically.
Authoritarian Fantasies According to İbrahim Kalın, to call Erdoğan authoritarian is a strategic move to render invisible coup attempts, illegal wiretappings, and parallel structures.
Turkey’s Municipal Elections: Setting the Stage for Upcoming Elections Soli Özel argues that the AKP’s victory in municipal elections will give rise to a war against the Gülen movement.
End of Hate Discourse Ekrem Dumanlı argues that raids against institutions and affiliations of the Gülen movement are based on false allegations and groundless reports.
Plot! According to Ali Bulaç, the government-Gülen struggle is just the tip of a huge iceberg.
Economy
Can Turkey Work a Miracle on Current Account Deficit? (1)-(2) Mehmet Çetingüleç examines Turkey’s dependence on foreign energy supplies and its credit ratings.
Dangerous Rumors Erdal Sağlam comments on the removal of bureaucrats under the name of waging war against a “parallel structure” and the extension of cleanup operation to the economy’s important institutions.
Almost Balanced Growth is Under Way Seyfettin Gürsel points that Turkey’s growth rate is likely to be under four percent.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Fourteen Days in Diyarbakır (1)-(2)-(3)-(4) A French-Armenian journalist’s two weeks in Diyarbakır “to meet with the past, present, and future of the thousands of Armenians who used to live in this city before the 1915 genocide.”
Who Supports Who in Syria Opposition? Fehim Taştekin argues that Turkey has not been selective when it comes to courting potential allies among hundreds of different groups fighting in Syria.
"Afghanization" of Syria and the Choice Between the Lesser of Evils Barçın Yinanç argues that Ankara and Washington are worried because Syria might become the land of radical Islamist groups.
Is Fate of Kurdish Issue Tied to Erdoğan's Future? According to Tülin Daloğlu, the PKK would not be satisfied simply with the recognition of Kurds' cultural and linguistic rights instead of democratic autonomy.
Interview with James M. Dorsey: Soccer, Politics, Society, and Protests An interview with James M. Dorsey about his new book The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer.
Book Review: Women and Civil Society in Turkey: Women’s Movements in a Muslim Society by Asuman Özgür KeysanÖmer Çaha reviews Women and Civil Society in Turkey, a book that “links civil society debates with women’s issues” in Turkey.
Turkish
Aftershocks of Elections
AKP’nin sandık başarısının sırrı ne? Vedat Özdan answers the question, “What is the knack of the AKP’s poll success?”
AKP’nin başarısı ve eksik demokrasi Erol Katırcıoğlu writes on “the AKP’s election success and a deficient democracy.”
Türkiye’de demokrasinin ideolojik ve sosyolojik düşmanları Ohannes Kılıçdağı points out the ideological and sociological enemies of the Turkish democracy.
Yerel seçim analizi—Eğrisi Doğrusu Tarhan Erdem, Bekir Ağırdır, and Taha Akyol analyse the local election results and speculate over the presidential elections.
Beyaz Türklerin hüznü ve ufuktaki tehlikeİsmet Berkan writes on “the blues of White Turks and a cloud on the horizon.”
Kim nerede? (1)-(2) Ali Bayramoğlu reads the local elections results from within a ten to fifteen year context.
Milli muhafazakar güç kabarması Ahmet İnsel labels Erdoğan’s recent political attitude as “a nationalist and conservative surge of power.”
Kulak asmayın düşünce tacirlerine! Reflecting upon the local elections results, Nuray Mert blasts some so-called ex-leftists for their left hostility.
Devlet/ hükümet gerilimi In Turkey, the separation of powers has never been realized, Murat Belge argues.
Siyaset prizmasında kırılan din dili Akif Emre draws attention to the fragility of religious language used in Turkish politics today.
"Demokrasisiz millî hâkimiyet" ile çoğunlukçu "millî irade" yorumu arasındaŞükrü Hanioğlu compares “a national sovereignty without democracy” to “a majoritarian national will.”
Kurdish Question and Democratic Autonomy
Kışanak: Petrolden pay istiyoruz An interview with Gülten Kışanak, the newly elected mayor of Diyarbakır, on the Kurdish question and democratic autonomy.
Gültan Kışanak 5N 1K'ya konuk oldu Gülten Kışanak explains what he means by democratic autonomy in a live stream.
Gülten Hanım'ın açtığı tartışma (1)-(2) Taha Erdem dwells upon Gülten Kışanak’s interview, which has become a hot topic in Turkey.
Özerklik üzerine (1)-(2) Doğu Ergil comments on the discussion over democratic autonomy.
İzmir demokratik özerklik istediğinde…(1)-(2) Aydın Engin argues for democratic autonomy.
Gültan Kışanak ne yapmaya çalışıyor? (1)-(2) Gülay Göktürk argues against democratic autonomy and holds Gülten Kışanak responsible undermining the peace process.
Erdoğan Kürtlere özerklik sözü vermiş olabilir mi? Could Erdoğan have promised Kurds autonomy, Ruşen Çakır asks.
Armenian Question
99 yıldır yüzleşilemeyen acı: 24 Nisan 1915 Murat Aksoy argues that the Armenian genocide is a tragic event that has not been contended with for ninety-nine years.
1915-2015 The Armenian deportation was quite different from its antecedents employed in the Ottoman Empire before the World War I, Ümit Kardaş argues.
Ermeni Soykırımı’nı kabul etmeyen insanlardan ne bekliyoruz ki? An interview with Perihan Mağden on her newly published book Dangerous Dispositions (Tehlikeli Temayüller) and the Armenian genocide.
Soykırım hafızasının korunması ve yayılması konusunda iki yaklaşım Khaçatur Kopelyan examines two different attitudes towards the preservation and propagandation of the memories of the Armenian genocide.
Kolektif Suçluluk ve Ermeni Soykırımı Üzerine Sosyal Psikolojik Bir Analiz Roza Kamiloğlu provides a socio-psychological analysis of the Armenian genocide.
Ermeni Apo’dan Ermeni Gülen’e devlette devamlılık Mücahit Bilici writes on “the permanence in the state—from Armenian Öcalan to Armenian Gülen.”
Other Pertinent Pieces
Post-Marksizm, küreselleşme, evrensellik ve etik Mesut Yeğen’s interview with Ernesto Laclau, a well-known political theorist who passed away on 14 April 2014.
İslamî gazetelerin Roboskî katliamına yaklaşımı nasıldı? Reha Ruhavioğlu examines Islamic newspapers' attitudes toward the Roboski (Uludere) massacre.
Published on Jadaliyya
Tahrir, Taksim, Tempelhof: Between Political Fields
Digital Platforms, Analog Elections: How Civic Groups Are Trying to Bring Back Democracy in Turkey
Notes on Turkey's Local Elections
Asylum and the Right to the City: Lessons from Turkey’s Syrian Guests and Other Urban Refugees