Atilla's Musings

UAE vs Turkey: the regional rivalries pitting MBZ against Erdogan

Source:Financial Times Date:26Oct2020

Turkey’s foreign policy moves may be motivated by national interest, but the nation is stepping on too many toes on the way.  Arab boycotts spreading like wildfire is a harbinger of the

Read More

ERDOĞAN’S TURKEY AND THE PROBLEM OF THE 30 MILLION

Source:War on the Rocks Date:25Sep2020

Even though I don’t agree with the dystopian conclusion, this is an excllent article on Erdogan’s  divide and conquer strategy     There is reason to think that the present

Read More

Modi and Erdogan thrive on divisive identity politics

Source:Financial Times Date:11Aug2020

Mr Modi is a Hindu nationalist. Mr Erdogan is an Islamist. The Indian and Turkish leaders look like potential rivals in a clash of civilisations. But they are pursuing political projects that are

Read More

Coronavirus has weakened the West’s nationalists

Source:Washington Post Date:22Jul2020

This study of populist-nationalist leaders doesn’t mention Mr Erdogan, but there are plenty of lessons for him to learn.   In Western Europe, Trump’s ideological brethren have slumped.

Read More

The “Blue Homeland” and Turkey’s new forward defence doctrine

Source:Duvar English Date:25Jun2020

This a socialist criticque of Turkey new forward looking  military posture.  While I don’t agree with the critical terminolagy used by the author, it is an excellent primer to understand

Read More

Turkey’s Changing Media Landscape

Source:Istanbul Policy Center Date:11Jun2020

Despite this heavy censorship, two key trends have undercut President Erdoğan’s efforts to control the media landscape: rising distrust toward the media and increasing fragmentation in the ways

Read More

A new Gaza: Turkey’s border policy in northern Syria

Source:European Council on Foreign Relations Date:29May2020

The title doesn’t do justice to this comprehensive account of Turkey’s involvement in Syria, and its real and imaginery reasons. Turkey now controls a long stretch of Syrian territory

Read More

Turkey’s Growing Military Expeditionary Posture

Source:Jamestown Foundation Date:16May2020

Turkish Armed Forces are rapidly evolving from a HomelandDefense concept to a frowar posture. Military is als one of the few areas where Turkey demonstrated its innovation capacity. The result is

Read More

Turkey Wades into Libya’s Troubled Waters

Source:International Crisis Group Date:02May2020

Turkish intervention in Libya’s war stopped the besieged Tripoli government from collapsing. But fighting with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces has since escalated, threatening a protracted

Read More

Resilience in Turkey

Source:CEPA Date:24Apr2020

An article based on solid survey research inspring hope for Turkey’s future by Soner Cagaptay and Deniz Yüksel.   His Jacobin top-down social conservatism has proved remarkably

Read More