Atilla's Musings

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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Russia is about to face its biggest test yet in Syria

Source:The Independent Date:16Apr2020

Robert Fisk explains how Syria’s economic woes will test Putin’s resources, bringing in the Turkish angle, too.   Turkey’s real problem, of which the Russians are acutely aware,

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What to do about the coming debt crisis in developing countries

Source:Brookings papers Date:15Apr2020

This article by Homi Kharas is comprehensive in addressing the dimensions of the debt stress, as well as ingenious in proposing solutions. A must read for  EM enthusiasts   One indication

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How To Make Turkey Great Again – OpEd

Source:Eurasian Review Date:09Apr2020

An op-ed piece by a former diplomat which is suprrisnigly symphatheitc to Turkey. It addresses all the topics that distances the  country from the Wst, clogging the domestic dynamics for

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