Media freedom in Turkey Under pressure but continuing to fight back
This Policy Dialogue analyzed the current challenges facing the media in Turkey. Despite the advances resulting from the EU negotiation process on key areas and issues in Turkey, media freedom in Turkey remains a matter of great concern as it continues to regress. Turkey’s lack of media freedom was explained quoting ownership issues, absence of…
Evaluating Turkey’s local elections – What will the future bring?
On 30 March 2014 Turks went to the polls for important local elections which saw the ruling AKP party’s share of the vote rising six percentage points to just over 44% compared with the most recent municipal elections in 2009 results. The main opposition party, CHP, received 29%. With Turkey engulfed by a corruption probe…
Turkey: Back to old days? The current state of Turkey-EU Relations
When Prime Minister Erdogan was elected back in 2003 he gained a large support from different segments of the society other than center-right constituents including liberals, non-religious and even some center left voters through his pro-reform agenda based on EU negotiations framework. In the past decade, this reformist agenda has progressively been conducted by the…
Turmoil in Turkey: What’s it all about and where is it heading?
Turkey ended 2013 in the shadow of a massive corruption scandal that led to the resignation of four government Ministers. Consequently, the government reacted by declaring it a “conspiracy operation” carried out by external forces, and launched a large-scale purge of thousands of police, and hundreds of prosecutors and bureaucrats claiming they all were part…
Turkey and the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership – Realities and expectations
Summary Turkey’s Customs Union with the EU might be in question unless the country’s interests are protected in the current Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks, heard participants in this Turkish Insights Policy Dialogue. The potential impact of a TTIP deal on the multilateral trading system is an important issue for Turkey, and it…
The future of the Western Balkans and the role of Turkey
Bestami Bilgiç, Professor of International Relations at Ipek University in Ankara, explained that until the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire extended its rule over large swathes of the Balkans that are multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural. The memories of the first and second Balkan wars (1912-13 and 1921-22) are still vivid in the minds of…