A Rival Steps Up to Challenge Turkey’s President Erdogan

Source:New York Times Date:06Jan2018

A decent primer on the chairwoman of Good Party, Mrs Meral Aksener, who is the only declared rival to Mr Erdogan in the upcoming presidential race.   Can she beat him?  The answer is no

Read More

Turkey’s Erdogan threatens to cut ties with US over jailing of banker

Source:The Independent Date:06Jan2018

A US court convicted a Turkish banker on Wednesday following a trial that included testimony of corruption by top Turkish officials. In his first public comments on the verdict, Mr Erdogan cast

Read More

Macron suggests ‘partnership’ with EU for Turkey, not membership

Source:FRANCE24 Date:06Jan2018

French President Macron tries to re-anchor Turkey ot EU, can he succeed?  This comment by Erdogan reveals how hard it will be:  Erdogan responded that some “columnists and opinion leaders

Read More

Turkish Banker Is Convicted in Plot to Evade Iran Sanctions

Source:New York Times Date:04Jan2018

It is a  dark day for Turkey and its banking system as a jury in NY finds a banker Mr Hakan Atilla guilty of violating Iran sanctions.  The verdict, if  not overturned  on appeal could further

Read More

A tough year ahead for Turkey

Source:Hurriyet Daily News Date:03Jan2018

One of Turkey’s premier political commentators, Mr Murat Yetkin published his predictions for  2018.

Read More

‘Things will get worse in 2018 with continued arrests and purges’

Source:Ahval News Date:01Jan2018

Howard Eissenstat, an associate professor at the history department of St. Lawrence University and a research assistant at Washington D.C.-based think-tank Project on Middle Eastern Democracy

Read More

Turkey’s Erdogan Tries to Play Nice, After a Year of Bashing Europe

Source:New York Times Date:01Jan2018

By now, the crosswinds of Mr. Erdogan’s public statements have sealed his reputation as a leader of changeable temperament who seems to shift Turkey’s policies along with his moods. Analysts of

Read More

Iraqi Kurdistan, R.I.P.

Source:The Gulf Today Date:01Jan2018

The Iraqi government has cracked down and the Kurdish region is no longer semi-autonomous, autonomous or nearly independent. The bid for freedom has, for now at least, been crushed without

Read More

Heavy fighting as Syrian forces enter rebel-held Idlib province

Source:The National Date:30Dec2017

Ankara can’t cleanse Idlib of pro-el Qaeda militants, which gives Assad cover to attack the rebel-held province.  Soon Turkish  and Syrian militaries might face each other.

Read More

US sanctions on the horizon for Turkey in 2018

Source:Hurriyet Daily News Date:30Dec2017

Better late than never we might think, however, the closure of the visa parenthesis was indeed getting rid of the least difficult of the problems between the two countries. It almost feels like

Read More