MESOP’S TURKEY MEDIA ROUND UP (FEBRUARY II)

TURKISH LANGUAGE FOLLOWS ENGLISH – Academics and Jurists Warn the Government Many academics and jurists signed a statement saying that the “rule of law is suspended” in Turkey.

Enlightenment Doğu Ergil suggests that “we should not be satisfied by those who are only content with religious freedom, but rather demand all freedoms necessary for a civilized society.”

New Turkey and Civilian Turkey Cengiz Aktar writes that “the new shirt that the masterful tailor has designed for Turkish society is extra small and is getting tighter by the day.”

I Object to AK Party’s “New Turkey” Murat Aksoy argues that AKP’s major problem is its agenda and social imagination, which has changed since 2011.

Banality of “the Truth about Turkey” Nuray Mert explains how “the life and times of the so-called ‘new Turkey’” under AKP rule has been so short that all those analyses based on the “democratic potential” of a “rising moderate Islamic political power proved to be a disastrous delusion within a very short amount of time.”

Turkish Police Caught in Middle of War Between Erdoğan and Former Ally Gülen Constanze Letsch interviews some police officers about the graft crisis.

Why We Should Be Optimistic about Turkey’s Future According to Barçın Yinanç, we should be optimistic about Gezi.

The AK Party Experience Ali Bulaç criticizes the AKP government from an Islamist perspective.

Toward an Islamic Enlightenment Following Hakan Yavuz, Şahin Alpay claims that Gülen is a representative of the “Islamic enlightenment”

The December 17th Axis Taha Özhan explains why he believes that the events of 7 February and of 17 December are both coup attempts.

Foreign Policy Implications of Turmoil in Turkey Ömer Taşpınar examines the impacts of the current political crisis on Turkish foreign policy.

Turkey from Washington Suat Kınıklıoğlu says there is “a distinct erosion of confidence in Turkey” in Washington DC.

Why Didn’t Chuck Hagel Visit Turkey? Lale Kemal reports that “US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has canceled his visit to Turkey, which was planned for 28 January.”

“Alo Fatih” Scandal

The Current State of Turkish Justice and the Media (1)–(2)–(3) Murat Yetkin addresses a few issues to provide readers with a broad understanding of what is happening in Turkey.

Sad Truths about the Turkish Media (1)–(2)–(3) Mustafa Akyol comments on the undeniable evidence of the media manipulation that was publicly exposed.

The System is the Root Cause of Corruption (1)–(2)–(3) Orhan Kemal Cengiz criticizes democrats who turn a blind eye to corruption allegations with the excuse of defending “politics.”

We Are Awestruck: A Question Is Being Asked Ahmet Hakan explains why everybody is frightened when a journalist asks Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan questions.

Turkey’s New Internet Law: Policing the Online Mall Since the protests in Gezi Park, freedom of expression has been under attack both on and offline, write Jussi Parikka and Burak Arıkan.

Toward a Party State According to Ekrem Dumanlı, the CEO and Executive Editor-in-Chief of Zaman, “you can be assured that the communist Pravda was more honest than our conservative Pravdas.”

Does Erdoğan Control the Media? Markar Esayan claims that it is a lie that Erdoğan controls the media in Turkey.

The 2014 World Press Freedom Index According to Reporters without Borders (RSF), Turkey still ranks 154th, with 153 journalists injured and 39 detained.

Attacks on the Press The report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) issued on 12 February underlines that Turkey “continues to be the world’s leading jailer of journalists.”

Internet Law

Erdoğan Takes on the Internet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s attempt to control the media and the Internet could be likened to the battles of Don Quixote, writes Cengiz Çandar.

AKP Fights Turkish “Porn Lobby” for Internet Purity Pınar Tremblay on pro-AKP daily Star’s claims that the opposition to the Internet law comes from the porn lobby.

Erdoğan Attacks the Internet Erdoğan’s attempt to establish a NSA-like control over the Web is part and parcel of his crackdown on the media and on dissenters, writes Louis Fishman.

Cyprus Negotiations

High Stakes as Cyprus Talks Resume Helena Smith reports that “Cyprus’s estranged Greek and Turkish leaders revives stalled peace talks with the aim of once and for all reuniting the island.”

Fingers Crossed for Cyprus Reminding us that there have been countless negotiations between the two sides, Mustafa Aydın asks “what’s changed now?”

Energy Reserves Add New Twist to Cyprus Talks The negotiations over the future of Cyprus are linked to energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean, writes Semih İdiz.

Last Tango in Cyprus Sami Kohen argues that this time the situation seems different due to two factors—the method applied and the Turkish warnings.

Shifting Sands or Burning Bridges? Theodoros Tsakiris analyses “the evolution of Turkish-Israeli relations after the Mavi Marmara incident and the strategic energy calculations of Greece and Cyprus.”

EU Relations

Turkey-EU: “Lapse in Interest on Both Sides” An interview with Fadi Hakura on the Turkey-EU relations.

Europeanization, Framing Competition and Civil Society in the EU and Turkey Ayhan Kaya and Raffaele Marchetti examine the relationship between the EU and Turkey, with a particular focus on the Europeanization of Turkish civil society.

“Euro-Turks” A commentary by Anna Triandafyllidou on Euro-Turks.

Other Pertinent Pieces

Escape in Istanbul Al Jazeera World examines how exclusive gated communities, which are springing up across Istanbul, shape the social fabric of the city.

Stone, Blood, and Time in Istanbul Halil Berktay sets you on a special spatial and temporal journey in Byzantine, Constantinople, Istanbul.

Gül Reignites Debate on Turkey’s Shopping Malls Riada Ašimović Akyol points out that there are 333 malls in Turkey, with a complete rentable space totaling 9.2 million square meters.

Turkish Pragmatism at Sochi Olympics Fehim Taştekin writes that Turkey put aside its Caucasus issue with Russia in participating in the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The Age of Dissent John Bell asks why people are resorting to street politics across the globe—in the Arab world, Thailand, Ukraine, Brazil, and Turkey.

Turkey: The Life of a Battered Woman Glen Johnson points out that “domestic violence has soared in the past decade, but shelters for abused women remain scarce.”

Radical Political Islam and the Empowerment of the Poor and Pious Erik Meyersson’s paper on how local Islamist mayors increased female participation in education in Turkey during the 1990s.

Time not Right for Turkish-Israeli Reconciliation According to Cengiz Çandar, neither Erdoğan nor Netanyahu are ready to do what is necessary to normalize relations.

Turkish

Graft Crisis

Cemaat ve AKP: hangisi daha sivil, hangisi daha siyasi? (1)-(2)–(3) Ruşen Çakır comments on the conflict between the AKP and the Gülen movement.

‘AKP+ordu= iktidar’ formülü yürür mü? “Does the ‘AKP+military=power’ formula work?” asks Mehmet Altan.

Bu kaosta her şey olabilir! Tarhan Erdem analyzes the effects of the graft crisis on voting behavior in the upcoming elections.

Demokratik zemindeki sığlık Ali Bayramoğlu argues that the contemporary crisis in Turkey is not only about political actors but also about the political ground on which they act.

Şaşırtıcı mı? According to Doğu Ergil, the new constitution, despite many promises, it constantly being delayed.

‘Yeni Türkiye’: bir kavramın izinde Doğan Gürpınar analyzes the ambiguity of the term “new Turkey” and its deployment as a rhetorical tool by different actors.  

Din ve siyaset Sedat Laçiner argues that the Muslim world has to develop its own formulas to include all segments of society in the state.

Seçimlerde ne olacak? İhsan Doğu analyzes possible voting behaviors in the upcoming elections.

Fethullah Gülen Cemaati’ne tavsiyeler Mücahit Bilici gives advice to the Gülen community, which “has made much evil with good intentions.”

“Alo Fatih” Scandal

‘Alo Fatih’ donemi, ‘hortum’dan ‘havuz’a… (1)–(2)–(3) Cengiz Çandar comments on the “Alo Fatih” scandal, the leaked phone conversations between PM Erdoğan and media executives.

Yeni Turkiye’nin yeni medya duzeni Eyüp Can criticizes government interference, control, and censorship in the media and press.

Mesleğine ihanet eden, etmeyen gazeteciler! Turkey needs journalists who resist all pressures and interference coming from the government and their bosses, writes Hasan Cemal.

Siyasetin sirazesi cikinca medya ciltleri de berhava olur According to Ragıp Duran, “rupture” is the word that best describes the graft crisis and the recent media crisis.

Kabataş Event

Kabataş’ta aldatılma mı var, yoksa aldanmaya hazır zihinler mi? According to Murat Aksoy, an alleged attack on a veiled woman during the Gezi uprising serves to manipulate and polarize society.  

28 Şubat’ın Fadime’sinden Kabataş’ın Zehra’sına, örtülü kadının istismarı Oya Baydar examines the abuse of the image of the veiled woman by the state and by the AKP.

Kabataş’ta buluşalım Nimet Alıcı argues that whether or not the allegations are groundless, women’s statements about sexual harassment must be given priority.

Başbakan Erdoğan Dolmabahçe ve Kabataş için özür dileyecek mi? Hasan Cemal asks whether Erdoğan will apologize for the groundless allegations claiming that protesters drank alcohol in a mosque and attacked a veiled woman during the Gezi Park protests.

Kurdish Question

Erdoğan-Gülen-Öcalan üçgeninde çözüm süreci  Ruşen Çakır urges us to rethink the peace process following the shifting alliances between Erdoğan, Gülen, and Öcalan.

Çözüm sürecine sokma süreci Hüseyin Ali explains the Kurdish Movement’s attitude towards the AKP amidst the graft crisis.

Barış İçin Kadın Girişimi: çözüm süreci raporu The Women’s Initiative for Peace report on the peace process provides analyses and suggestions for a permanent peace.

Toplumsal barış yasa tasarısı Nazan Üstündağ summarizes three steps for a permanent peace, as proposed by the BDP’s Societal Peace Law Proposal.

Toplumsal Baris Yasasi’nda neler var? Pınar Öğünç comments on the BDP’s law proposal.

Hasan Cemal, ‘Kürtlerin Sezen’ini’ Sezen Aksu’yla birlikte dinledi Nazan Özcan interviews Hasan Cemal about his recently published book Delila: Mountain Memoirs of a Young Woman Guerilla.

Milli Güvenlik Siyaset Belgesi ve ‘tehdit’ algısı (1)–(2) Delil Karakoçan points out that the Kurdish movement is still considered a “threat” in the National Security Policy Document.

Yeni bir tanıklık rejimi kurulurken According to Başak Can, the Witnesses of War documentary, which consists of interviews with journalists who have witnessed violence in Kurdistan since the late 1980s, is important for building a new “witnessing regime.”

Kato eteklerinden sömürgeciliğin fotoğrafı: AKP’nin arka planı  The peace process is a result of thousands of atrocities that Kurds have experienced and their long-lasting resistance, Amed Dicle writes.

Hayal etmek güç, görmek gerek Banu Güven’s “Roboski Demands Peace” video presents snapshots from the daily lives of families who lost their beloved ones in the Roboski massacre.

Other Pertinent Pieces

Türkiye’de kültür çatışması ve son on yılda kültür-sanat politikası (1)–(2)–(3)–(4)–(5)–(6)–(7)–(8) The “Cultural Clash in Turkey and Politics of Culture and Art in the Last Decade” article series consists of seven interviews with a wide range of people about the AKP’s art and culture policies.

AKP’nin ekonomi programının özü (1)–(2) Erinç Yeldan analyzes the AKP’s economic policies since 2003, which are based on foreign debt, privatization, and foreign investment.

İsrail ve Türkiye ilişkilerini onarıyor Emre Peker and Joshua Mitnick suggest that despite the diplomatic crisis, the economic relations based on oil trade between Israel and Turkey are developing.

Şimdi anladık mı Erdoğan’ın niye hiç kimseyi feda etmediğini?

Persian Translation of “Fugitive Markets and Arrested Mobilities: Gaziantep’s Iranian Bazaar”

New Texts Out Now: Kurdish Studies

The Ottoman Scramble for Africa