[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
Kenan Evren and the Legacy of the 1980 Coup
Turkey's Kenan Evren: The Last of the Cold War Coup Plotters Murat Yetkin discusses the controversial reputation and legacy of Kenan Evren along with his ascent to political prominence in the military coup of 12 September 1980.
Nation Mourns Comedian, Rebuffs Dead Junta Leaderİlnur Çevik contrasts the public sympathy legacy of Zeki Alasya, a political comedian, with the collective scorn felt toward Kenan Evren, both of whom died in the same week.
Kenan Evren And Coups in Turkey Kılıç Buğra Kanat argues that the military coup of 1980 exemplifies the problematic history of military intervention into Turkish politics, suggesting that “Turkey stayed under the shadow of Evren” for many years thereafter.
Kenan Evren And Mass Hypnosis Nagehan Alçı argues that the ruling AKP government has worked to expunge the sympathy and respect felt toward Kenan Evren and other members of the military junta who staged the 12 September coup.
Kenan Evren Is Not an Ordinary Coup Leader According to Osman Can, the western support for Kenan Evren, along with the coup’s long-lasting impact on Turkish politics, such as the endurance of the 1980 constitution, distinguish the 12 September coup from other coups in the world.
Evren and The Kurdish Issue Ali Bayramoğlu claims that the conditions in the Diyarbakır Military Prison and the brutality of martial law are responsible for the rise of the PKK and the emergence of the Kurdish issue.
June Elections
Turkey's Poverty Figures Look Bad for Ruling AKP Zülfikar Doğan suggests that the rising rate of poverty in Turkey—currently at 22.4 percent—will be a determining factor in the upcoming election.
Why I May Vote for Kurdish Nationalists Mustafa Akyol writes that his “strategic” vote for the HDP is an effort to put it over the election threshold in order to prevent the AKP from dominating parliament and to curtail the potential for radicalization among HDP’s Kurdish voting base.
MHP 'Will Not Back' Erdoğan's Presidential System (1) - (2) Murat Yetkin interviews the leader of the MHP, Devlet Bahçeli, and the leader of the CHP, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, about the prospects for Erdoğan’s presidential system.
The MHP Has No Speed BoundariesŞükrü Küçükşahin profiles the MHP’s leader, Devlet Bahçeli, and the enthusiasm with which he was greeted at a rally in Bursa, where the party has high expectations.
Turkey's Ruling AKP Fields New Digital Army Emre Kızılkaya examines the AKP’s recent efforts to mobilize its younger voters to promote the party on digital and social media, in spite of the government’s history of prohibiting access to websites like Twitter.
'Oy ve Ötesi' Aims for Fair Election Results And BeyondÖzgür Korkmaz interviews one of the founders of the "Oy ve Ötesi" ("Vote and Beyond") Initiative, who claims that independent observation of the vote counting process is the easiest part of democratization, while the real election problems lie in the institutional frameworks.
The Nation Will Be Voting for Stability on June 7İlnur Çevik argues that the economy is the primary issue in the election, and that the AKP will provide political and economic stability through continued economic success.
Davutoğlu Confident of Victoryİbrahim Karagül suggests that the HDP and CHP are using a “Ba’athist rhetoric” against the AKP, a technique which will backfire and win the AKP more votes among conservative Kurdish voters.
Kurdish Politics and the Peace Process
The AKP's Unending Kurdish Peace Bids Serkan Demirtaş contrasts the AKP’s accomplishments in construction projects with its failings on social issues like the Kurdish issue, the Alevi issue, and the process of democratization.
Uncle Tayyip's 'Graying Turkey' Vs. A More Kurdish Turkey Burak Bekdil suggests that the higher fertility rates in the Kurdish regions may become President Erdoğan’s “nightmare” because of the declining fertility rates in the rest of Turkey.
Reconciliation Process Being Sabotaged by HDPİhsan Aktaş argues that the AKP is the only party actively working toward reconciliation, while the CHP, MHP, and HDP are being supported by the Gülen movement to damage prospects for peace.
Resolution Process on the Election Scale Ali Bayramoğlu cautions against the instrumentalization of the Kurdish issue in the election, which will damage the legitimacy of the AK Party as well as that of the Kurdish movement.
Foreign Policy
Turks Fear Saudi Alliance Will Drag Country into Syria Fehim Taştekin writes about the prospect that the Turkish government, in conjunction with shifting geopolitical dynamics, might become more involved in either direct or proxy conflict in Syria.
The Turkey-Saudi Axis against Damascus Cengiz Çandar discusses the different priorities that various actors have in the possibility of a Syrian intervention and suggests that the Syrian regime nonetheless continues to have the upper hand.
Nothing New on the Syrian Front According to Semih İdiz, the controversies about a potential Turkish-Saudi intervention into Syria amount to nothing more than political rumors at a volatile time in Turkish domestic politics.
Erdoğan Ends Discussion on 'Armenian Opening' Mustafa Akyol argues that the rapprochement between Turks and Armenians was primarily a project of President Erdoğan’s predecessor, Abdullah Gül, that has been largely abandoned by Erdoğan.
Cyprus Taboo in Turkey Nuray Mert suggests that the recent election of Mustafa Akıncı, a left-wing pro-solution politician in Northern Cyprus, highlights how the Cyprus question has become a pillar of Turkish nationalist authoritarianism.
Other Pertinent Pieces
No Questions Asked about Turkey's Suitcases Full of Cash Pınar Tremblay discusses new customs regulations in Turkey which potentially make it easier for foreign groups to launder money through the country.
So Who Authorized Davutoğlu's Gülen Visit? Semih İdiz describes a current controversy surrounding then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s rendezvous with Fethullah Gülen in the US in 2013, prior to the corruption allegations against the AKP government.
Compensation and Territory According to Etyen Mahçupyan, ambivalence regarding compensation and territorial reparations to Armenians affected by the genocide is making it difficult to achieve social recognition of their suffering.
Turkish
Kenan Evren and the Legacy of the 1980 Coup
12 Eylül’dü ama kaktüsler susuz da yaşardı! Nuray Sancar states that even under the direst conditions of the 1980 military coup, people tried to subvert the system and people will continue to resist oppression.
Evren mi, Erdoğan mı? Mümtazer Türköne argues that the military regime’s use of unidentified murders as a tool for control has been replaced by the current government’s monetary control over state’s resources.
Evren'in ölümü ve demokraside ilke According to Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, the fact that people consented to upholding democracy for a better and safer “now” at the general elections following the military coup should be analyzed to avoid such propensities in society.
Şenay Gürvit’e açık mektup Eylem Delikanlı writes to Şenay Gürvit, the daughter of Kenan Evren, about the long list of crimes and murders of which her father was responsible as the head of the military government.
June Elections
"PKK'yi de 'paralel' yapmaya karar verdiler, biliyoruz" (1) - (2) Ezgi Başaran comments on the PKK’s decision to step back in the peace process due to suspicions over a government secret plan to start an impromptu attack on the Kurdish movement, and speculates about the role of strategic Turkish nationalists’ vote for the HDP’s success in June elections.
Müslüman ol, Kürd olma! According to Mücahit Bilici, the AKP’s election rhetoric follows from their politics of denying the Kurds their Kurdishness, and using Islam as a unifying and demobilizing rhetoric.
AKP iktidarından kurtulmanın yegane yolu sandık; sahip çıkalım! Cenk Sidar states that because the government will potentially adhere to rigging the elections in order to avoid accountability, people should join the efforts that aim to monitor the reliability of election results.
HDP’ye saldırılar AKP taktiğinin gereğidir!İhsan Çaralan thinks that the nationwide attacks on the HDP’s election offices are a part of the AKP’s plan to delegitimize the HDP, and deter the electorate from voting for the party.
Türkiye’de demokrasi için oyum HDP’ye Ali Yurttagül declares that he will vote for the HDP as the AKP still defends the anti-democratic ten percent election threshold that was designed to keep the Kurds out of the system.
Kompleksli 'solculuk' barajı da aşılacak! Vedat İlbeyoğlu argues that the strict theoretical position of certain socialist groups, and the rhetoric regarding their “neutral” stance for the upcoming elections, is highly problematic.
Elinde Kuran’la oy avcılığı yapan bir cumhurbaşkanı istemiyorum! Hasan Cemal denounces the instrumentalization of the Qur'an in the hands of a Turkish president for political success; according to him, this is an unprecedented event in the history of Turkish politics.
HDP, AKP ile neden anlaşamaz? Erdem Yörük answers hesitations regarding a possible arrangement between the HDP and AKP, and states that the very structure of the HDP (composed of members from diverse social groups) would not allow for such collaboration.
Piyasaların 8 Haziran korkusu: Erdoğan hakimiyetinde kontrolsüz bir Türkiye Vedat Özdan claims that the markets do not fear the economic promises of the political parties entering the elections, nor do they fear a coalition government; they only fear the AKP coming to power alone under Erdoğan’s control.
Seçime önem vermek Adil Bayram states that the upcoming elections are of utter importance for the peace process and the current regional politics, and that therefore the HDP should work hard to increase enthusiasm among the people.
HDP barajı geçiyor mu? Tüm seçim anketlerinin analizi Onur Altındağ and Bert M. Azizoğlu’s statistical model reviews ninety-one election polls published since 2011 and predicts the HDP’s election performance to be either right below or just above the threshold.
The Anniversary of Soma Mining Massacre
Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Soma Araştırma Grubu Raporu: GE-Lİ-YO-RUM DİYEN FACİA Emrah Altındiş talks about Bosphorous University’s Soma report revealing that the massacre was being expected by the mining company, state officials, and even workers themselves, but no preventive measures were taken.
‘Ne pahasına olursa olsun kömür’ diye diye nereye kadar?Önder Algedik delineates the relationship between Turkey’s coal policy and work-related fatalities and asks at what cost the state is willing to sacrifice workers for the continuation of this planned economic policy.
Soma yanıyor Bülent Falakaoğlu lists what happened in Soma, the problems that have not been solved since, and the outcomes of the workers’ struggle with the state.
Soma’dan 12 Eylül’e bizim büyük 'sorumluluğumuz' Akdoğan Özkan states that while the Turkish Coal Enterprises is being accused to hold the biggest responsibility for Soma, the responsibility belongs to all parties involved for ignoring and not acting on the severe conditions.
Other Pertinent Pieces
Kamp Armen'de afedersiniz Ermenice Kur'an sallamakla olmuyor Baskın Oran proposes a permanent solution to the Camp Armen issue, a plan for demolishing the orphanage that hosted Armenian children who lost their parents during the genocide.
Published on Jadaliyya
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