Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Ismail Yasha
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AKP’s chances in the local elections
The Turkish President and head of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, succeeded in rescuing the People’s Alliance, an electoral alliance, from disintegration. The two parties reached understandings whereby each of them makes concessions to...
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Turkey’s local elections and the fate of the alliances
Public opinion has for days been preoccupied with the assassination of the famous Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi – may he rest in peace – in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. This preoccupation is largely due to the strangeness of the incident, the brutal nature of the...
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Why has the AKP’s popularity declined?
The unofficial results of the early presidential and parliamentary elections held last Sunday in all parts of Turkey showed the victory of the President and People’s Alliance candidate, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the first round, in addition to winning a majority in the Turkish parliament. The Supreme Electoral Council...
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Who will the Kurds vote for in the Turkish elections?
Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in less than a month. Given the alignment of political parties and the formation of two electoral alliances, many observers and analysts are asking who the Turkish citizens of Kurdish origin will vote for. Even the smallest difference in support for...
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A new crisis in Turkey-Israel relations
Relations between Turkey and Israel deteriorated after the assault by Israeli commandos on the Turkish-registered Mavi Marmara in international waters in May 2010; nine Turkish citizens on board were killed and another died of his wounds later. The ship was sailing towards the Gaza Strip as part of the...
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The Turkish opposition is repeating past mistakes
Turkish political parties have begun intensifying their election campaigns with the imminent, early presidential and parliamentary elections due to take place on 24 June. The campaigns have been divided into two camps: The People’s Alliance, formed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Nationalist Movement Party, and the...
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Turkish opposition alliance seeks to control parliament
CNN Turk reported breaking news last night that four political parties have reached an agreement to form an alliance in the parliamentary elections. The Republican People’s Party (CHP), the Lyi (Good) Party, the Islamist Saadet Party (SP) and the Democrat Party (DP) are set to announce the new coalition...
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Ankara’s reading of the recent events in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia surprised the world last weekend by arresting dozens of princes, officials and businessmen on various charges, including accepting bribes, embezzlement, extortion, money laundering and exploitation of influence to achieve personal interests. These arrests occurred after the formation of a new committee to combat corruption, led by Saudi...
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The difference between arresting scholars and arresting members of the Parallel State
Over the past few days, the security forces in Saudi Arabia arrested a number of scholars and preachers, including famous ones with millions of followers on social networking sites, such as Sheikh Salman Al-Ouda, Sheikh Awad Al-Qarni and Sheikh Ali Al-Omari. There are some who are trying to link...
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Does the EU need Turkey more than Turkey needs the EU
The founders of modern Turkey decided that the West was to be the direction of the nascent state and they enacted laws to westernise both state and society. What seems like a natural extension of this process was the initial request for Turkey to be part of Europe in...
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Has Turkey forsaken the Muslim Brotherhood?
There has been an increase in speculation and in comments made throughout the last few days regarding Turkey’s apparent abandonment of its ally; the Muslim Brotherhood, after Ankara discovered that its relationship with the organisation has severely harmed its relationship with the global community. The individuals who claim this,...
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Priority must be given to changing Turkey’s constitution
The most prominent issue during the new phase in Turkey, which began with the sudden decision made by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, is changing the constitution from a parliamentary system to a presidential or semi-presidential system. This issue will be at the top of the new government’s list...