Brussels talks fail to ease EU-Turkey tensions

Source:Financial Times Date:26Jul2017

The meeting between Federica Mogherini, EU foreign policy chief, Johannes Hahn, European commissioner in charge of Turkey’s stalled EU membership bid, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkish foreign minister,

Read More

Turkey’s Erdogan Ends Tour With No SIgn of Qatar Progress

Source:Newsweek Date:26Jul2017

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan left Qatar on Monday after two days in the Gulf trying to mediate in the worst row among Arab states for years but there was no sign he had made any progress.

Read More

Turkey Sees Foes at Work in Gold Mines, Cafes and ‘Smurf Village’

Source:New York Times Date:23Jul2017

Don’t let the title fool you, this is rather balanced article about Gulen, his   disciples, the post-coup crackdown and its victims or perpetrators. A lot depends on your viewpoint in Turkey.

Read More

The West regresses, the East rises, Turkey strengthens, the fight intensifies

Source:Yeni Safak Date:23Jul2017

For Westerners it is very important to understand the mind-set which feeds the decision making process in the AKP government. The article by editor-in-chief of conservative daily Yeni Safak (New

Read More

Turkey’s Alevis, a Muslim Minority, Fear a Policy of Denying Their Existence

Source:New York Times Date:23Jul2017

NYT should be applauded for bringing  the plight of Turkey’s “other” and forgotten minority, the Alevites, to the limelight. Probably as numerous as the Kurds, staunchly secular

Read More

Reality is warped in Turkey. We may never get it back

Source:The Guardian Date:22Jul2017

All I can say about this op-ed by Ms Ece Temelkuran is “exactly my opinion”.  The machine is broken and it may never be repaired.

Read More

Spotlight: Turkey to launch military operation against Kurds in northern Syria

Source:XinhuaNet Date:22Jul2017

Action against Afrin is not imminent, but  a strong possibility in the future. Ankara is extremely disturbed by widening  PKK terror and Syrian Kurdish state-building exercises.

Read More

Qatar: How Much Will Blockading Countries Push?

Source:STRATFOR Date:22Jul2017

Turkey won’t be able to bring about a resolution to the current crisis, but Erdogan’s visit helps reinforce that Qatar has powerful allies backing it up, another factor that will

Read More

How US-Turkey relations have gone from bad to worse

Source:The Hill Date:22Jul2017

One year after the failed coup attempt of July 15, Turkish relations with the U.S. have gone from uneasy and challenging to difficult and strained; a return to the halcyon days of warm relations

Read More

Turkey’s PKK Conflict Kills almost 3,000 in Two Years

Source:International Crisis Group Date:21Jul2017

International Crisis Group  just published an update on PKK terror in Turkey.  Its grim conclusions must be read carefully. The “Kurdish problem”, now encompassing Syria will not go

Read More