#Erdogan Politics

[politicallolcenter]

[maaarine]

it's unfortunate that most Americans know nothing about the rest of the world

because I feel like if they looked at Turkey right now

they'd get a glimpse of what's ahead for the USA

[arcane-ish]

So I watched this Legal Eagle video. So Trump without a concrete reason took a group of venezuelan asylum seekers.

Let's get some context

Bukele is the king of just throwing people in jail for years without due process. Basically he jailed everybody with a tattoo for years and years. And People LOVE him for it. They think it's awesome. Maybe they acknowledge that people get caught in the crossfire but they think it's worth it if it means "cleaning up the streets". The fact that Trump is teaming up with that guy and using him to do his dirty work should scare you.

Putin has been fairly undisputed dictator for a while. Nobody really comes close to challenging him. The democratic infrastructure in his country has been hollowed out, barely anybody dares to run against him and even if they do they don't really have a chance. One who publicly opposed him was Alexei Nawalny. He has his issue and it's generally thought he didn't have a chance in pure numbers, but he was popular enough to annoy Putin, so he was thrown in jail and after a while murdered in prison.

There's a guy in Turkey. His name is Erdogan. He has a bit of a sketchy track record. He's also pretty popular. He has been extending and extending and extending his term. There's one sort of old fashioned party entrenched in the country. They have their own issues of getting their shit together and Picking the right person to oppose him. Think of them, structurally as the democrats. When they tried to field a sort of not charismatic enough old guy against Erdogan in the last presidental elections, they got beat. Now there's a guy who people say is an up and comer, younger, popular, Major of Istanbul. Maybe somebody who could finally challenge Erdogan's popularity. Well, Erdogan just had him arrested. Him and 100 People who work for him.

There's a guy in Hungary. His name is Orban. He has a bit of a sketchy track record. He just made it illegal to hold a pride parade and announced that they would use facial recognition to spot and try anybody who attends, just to give you an impression. The local opposition has since years tried to get their shit together against him and Orban has just been wiping the floor with them. Except recently, there's a new guy there, kind of Nawalny figure, named Peter Magyar who has been making a bit of an appearance in the polls. If I were him, I would be looking around and getting scared.

Putin was considered the odd one out, the one in his weird far away cold country where you sort of expect the political habits to be more rough.

Bukele, well, it's just an oddball small country in South America, they always do crazy chaotic shit, ya know.

Putin has killed his political rivals. Erdogan has just jailed his. Trump has just shown that he will team up with a dictatorial henchman who is willing to just enjail anybody including non citizens at Trumps order.

If I were a Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, this is the point where I would start looking into getting private protection.

Trump is testing out his boundaries. He hasn't met a violent dictator from Putin to Bukele he didn't like.

The US is the most powerful country in the whole world. If Trump decides to go the same path, it will signal to every just skating buy dictator from Orban to Serbia's Vucik… why not just throw anybody in jail who you don't like and who could be your competition? Why not undermine the competition so nobody can ever get rid of you again?

You don't want dictatorship

Yes, if you are left wing, you probably know you don't want dictatorship. Because you know it will be shit, for women, for LGBT folk, for working People. Or just because you have ideals like freedom or rule of law.

But even if you think you are right wing, you don't want dictatorship. Because dictators start stupid conflicts that get your children killed, because dictators once they feel they are untouchable and don't have to prove anything anymore always go corrupt. Just ask the 15 People who got crushed by debris due to government corruption Serbia.

Because dictators once they get into a habit of jailing and murdering their opposition usually get paranoid and can't stop and turn onto their former allies pulling the countries into devastating inner turmoil. Because at some point they end up going after somebody who actually does bite back or they end up killing somebody who is actually responsible for making the trains run on time.

Because they are like big corporations. They fuck with competition, they want monopoly of powers that make the world worse for everyone. And they'll do poisonous thing just to preserve it.

[katiawidow]

When the turkish teenagers in the same month, the government blocked access to both wattpad, instagram and Roblox

(Halimiz hal değil mk erdogani)

[workersolidarity]

🇹🇷🇸🇾 🚨

ERDOGAN REACHES OUT TO ASSAD, TURKIYE AND SYRIA TO CAUTIOUSLY RE-ESTABLISH TIES, VLADIMIR PUTIN TO MEDIATE

In a tectonic shift in Euroasian geopolitics beginning on Friday, July 5th, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced after returning from a trip to Kazakhstan, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the possiblity Turkiye would extend an inventation to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with Vladimir Putin acting as a mediator between the two leaders.

Erdogan described the move as representing "the beginning of a new phase of Turkish-Syrian rapprochement."

Erdogan signaled a new diplomatic peace initiative, as it is being described by semi-official Anadolu News Agency, and "suggesting a potential invitation to Syria's Bashar al-Assad."

"We, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin, may have an invitation to Bashar al-Assad," Erdogan is quoted as telling a group of journalists on his return flight from the Kazakhstani capital Asana, where he spent two days attending Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

“If Mr. Putin can visit Türkiye, this could be the beginning of a new process," Erdogan continued, adding that "The passing years in Syria have clearly shown everyone the need for establishing a permanent solution,” the Turkish leader is quoted as saying, referring to the 2011 Arab Spring attempted coups which led to brutal civil war in Syria, largely instigated by Western capitals, with the help of three-letter agencies, and during which, Erdogan lent support to Western narratives which aimed to depose the Syrian President.

Erdogan is quoted as saying "We are talking about mediation here, so why don't we communicate directly with our neighbor?"

Erdogan went on to tell reporters that Turkiye has "always extended and will continue to extend a hand of friendship to our neighbor Syria. We would stand by a prosperous, unified Syria based on a fair, honorable, and inclusive new social contract. All we ask is that Syria initiates this great embrace and achieves recovery in every aspect."

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[betweenthetimeandsound]

"What is happening now is shocking, cruel. And yet it is also what this city knows intimately: nothing is safe. Life can change in a moment. Spontaneity – the very thing that captivated me from day one – isn’t just a cultural quirk; it is survival. When I first arrived, my German habit of planning weeks in advance puzzled my Istanbul friends. “Who knows how we’ll feel next week?” they’d joke. Now I understand. Plans don’t make sense. You never know if you will be able to keep them."

[dandelionsprout42]

I stand with Ekrem İmamoğlu

The list of countries I need to stand with is becoming pretty long by now, but I stand with Ekrem İmamoğlu and the İstanbul protesters.

"Independent judiciary" my ass. That kind of multi-approach timing of arrests and anti-protest rulings across a nation, can pretty much only happen on Erdocan't's watch.

Erdocan't is also very trigger-happy about internet censorship as well, blocking sites and arresting social media commenters more often than I change shirts. So I've certainly got anti-censorship causes on an international scale to fight too.

[politicallolcenter]

[thatimageoftomscott]

My Tumblr usage ebbs and flows and I'd been inactive for a while on everything but holy moly shit a LOOOT of things have happened here (and in our country, motherfuckers basically shut down most social media for a few days. Not Tumblr tho, tumblr's invincible.)

this blog is the only thing keeping me stable at this point, i have to be talking about tom sc*tt at all times or i will DIE. a lot of things happen here all the time.

....and yes honestly i don't watch the news as much as i should but of course i heard what happened. hope you are okay. and glad to have you back !

[pirunika]

Dndbxnn found out lore about why my fathers best friend and he fell apart when He was like I know you're a smart girl Save yourself from this hellhole

[voluptuarian]

"New Turkey" Introductory Reader

I did so much research for my paper that the final product barely scratched the surface of what I've read or looked up in the course of writing it. As such, I feel like the scope of my paper is very basic compared to the depth of the issue. (And considering how quickly I wrote it, frankly I'm not that sure of its actual writing quality.)

My research topic was current Turkish politics, centering on recent policies of President Erdogan and his party, the AKP, who have dominated the country since the mid-2000s. In particular I wanted to look into the roots of, and meaning behind a sort of party motto/discourse/policy umbrella which started in 2014 when Erdogan became president and announced the arrival of a "New Turkey."

This motto has frequently been compared to "Make America Great Again," and is just as bold and lacking in specific meaning. It is also the mission statement behind much of what's happening in Turkey's social and political climate right now, so for anyone interested in what's been going on in Turkey in the recent past, or curious about where the country's current direction is leading, the "New Turkey" idea is central to everything.

Rather than just delete all my references I thought I would share them here for anyone who's interested. Consider this a bit of "New Turkey" intro. It includes most of what I used in my bibliography and some other sources I looked at but didn't get to include.

I'm including some newspaper articles here-- these are all very introductory-- they're helpful for people with no background at all on Turkey, as well as for anyone who's interested and doesn't want to go through an entire paper's worth of books and articles. All these should be accessible for most people, I think.

“Erdogan Elected Turkey’s President, Promises ‘New Era.’”

"21st Century Will Be the Century of Türkiye: Erdoğan."

"Recep Tayyip Erdogan Sworn in as Turkish President; Swearing-in Ceremony Caps Monthslong Campaign."

"Erdoğan's split personality: the reformer v the tyrant"

"Turkey, lavish new presidential palace proves divisive."

"Turkey Rages at Shoddy Construction of 'Earthquake-Proof' Homes."

(Also looking up information on the Gezi Park protests from 2013 or Fethullah Gülen and his movement will be helpful for newbies as well.)

Behind the cut is all the more scholarly stuff. I've included entries in citation form so all the info you could need is there; I've also included links to everything but I don't know how many will be accessible everywhere, or to people without accounts, or even usable (I had a couple links stop working during the process of writing this.) Hopefully even if you can't access them all through the links provided, looking up the article information or even reaching out to the author will get you access. Happy reading!

The progression and consolidation of erdoğanist authoritarianism in the New Turkey - Bilge Azgın https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14683857.2020.1764277

Bâli, Aslı Ü., 'The “New Turkey” At Home and Abroad', in Amal Ghazal, and Jens Hanssen (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Middle Eastern and North African History, Oxford Handbooks (2020; online edn, Oxford Academic, 9 June 2015), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199672530.013.29‌

Bourcier, Nicolas. “Erdogan, the Enduring Reinterpreter of Turkish History.” Le Monde.fr, October 29, 2023. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/10/29/erdogan-the-enduring-reinterpreter-of-turkish-history_6212761_4.html.

Cagaptay, Soner. “Making Turkey Great Again.” The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs 43, no. 1 (Winter 2019): 169–78. https://doi.org/https://www.jstor.org/stable/45289835.

Çevik, S. B. (2024). Grandiose dreams, mega projects: Ottoman nostalgia in ‘new Turkey’. International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, 21(1), e1846. https://doi.org/10.1002/aps.1846

Heper, M., & Toktas, S. (2003). Islam, Modernity, and Democracy in Contemporary Turkey: The Case of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Muslim World, 93(2), 157-185. http://proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/islam-modernity-democracy-contemporary-turkey/docview/216437044/se-2

ERDOGAN'S GRAND VISION: Rise and Decline - Hillel Fradkin, Lewis Libby (2013)https://www.jstor.org/stable/43556162?searchText=&searchUri=&ab_segments=&searchKey=&refreqid=fastly-default%3A07607ba3d65e40f3231e2694b7b6b306&seq=2

Eissenstat, Howard. "Recep tayyip erdoğan: From 'illiberal democracy' to electoral authoritarianism (born 1953)" in Dictators and Autocrats: Securing Power Across Global Politics, ed. Klaus Larres (Abingdon, Oxfordshire, U.K: Routledge, 2021) https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003100508-25/recep-tayyip-erdo%C4%9Fan-howard-eissenstat

Cinar Kiper, “Sultan Erdoğan: Turkey’s Rebranding into the New, Old Ottoman Empire”, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/sultan-Erdoğan-turkeys-rebranding-into-the-new-old-ottoman-empire/274724/

Kocamaner, Hikmet. “How New Is Erdoğan’s ‘New Turkey’?” Middle East Brief, no. 91 (April 2015): 1–9. https://doi.org/https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/middle-east-briefs/pdfs/1-100/meb91.pdf.

‌McKernan, Bethan. 2019. “From Reformer to ‘New Sultan’: Erdoğan’s Populist Evolution.” The Guardian, March 11, 2019, sec. World news. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/11/from-reformer-to-new-sultan-erdogans-populist-evolution.

Populism, victimhood and Turkish foreign policy under AKP rule - Mehmet Arısan https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14683849.2022.2106131?src=recsys

Development of the 'New Turkey' Media Image: Substantive Aspect - N. E. Demeshko; V. A. Avatkov; A. A. Irkhin https://eds.s.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=ea94c4bc-4632-4ee4-a8c2-df8b9f5973bf%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edsdoj.

Smith Reynolds, Aaron. “The ‘New Turkey’ Might Have Come to an End: Here’s Why.” giga. https://www.giga-hamburg.de/de/publikationen/giga-focus/the-new-turkey-might-have-come-to-an-end-heres-why.

Solomon, Hussein. “Turkey’s AKP and the Myth of Islamist Moderation.” Jewish Political Studies Review 30, no. 3/4 (2019): 128–35. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26801121.

Yavuz, M. Hakan. “Social and Intellectual Origins of Neo-Ottomanism: Searching for a Post-National Vision.” Die Welt des Islams 56, no. 3–4 (November 28, 2016): 438–65. https://doi.org/10.1163/15700607-05634p08.

Media in New Turkey: The Origins of an Authoritarian Neoliberal State - Bilge Yesil https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=w3tMDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=%22new+turkey%22+origins+erdogan&ots=iqHojS41ci&sig=KC201icwuSS6tseeNml_IFMnZWU#v=onepage&q=%22new%20turkey%22%20origins%20erdogan&f=false

Yilmaz, Ihsan. "Islamic Populism and Creating Desirable Citizens in Erdogan’s New Turkey." Mediterranean Quarterly 29, no. 4 (2018): 52-76. muse.jhu.edu/article/717683.

The AKP and the spirit of the ‘new’ Turkey: imagined victim, reactionary mood, and resentful sovereign- Zafer Yilmaz https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14683849.2017.1314763

[bopinion]

2024 / 13

Aperçu of the Week:

"Peace is never made with weapons, but by stretching out our hands and opening our hearts."

(Pope Francis at this year's Easter blessing "Urbi et Orbi" in Rome)

Bad News of the Week:

Turkey has voted. "Only" local elections, but an important test of sentiment in view of the severe economic problems facing the country of two continents, such as inflation of almost 70%. The winner was not the conservative AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi / Justice and Development Party) of ruling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but the largest opposition party CHP (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi / Republican People's Party), a social democratic party founded by none other than the father of the country, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The CHP now holds the office of mayor in the country's five largest cities, including Ankara and Istanbul. The latter in particular will hurt Erdogan, as he himself was once mayor of the metropolis on the Bosporus. A 75% voter turnout proves that the voice of the people has indeed spoken here. This is remarkable in that Erdogan has become more and more of an autocrat in recent years - among other things by restricting freedom of expression and the press, curtailing the independent judiciary, persecuting critics of the regime and transforming the state into a presidential republic.

The election result is therefore much more than just a yellow card to those currently in power, a "midterm effect" so to speak. It is a clearly articulated, unmistakable rejection of an authoritarian style of leadership in general and of wannabe despot Erdogan in particular. This rejection is all the more pleasing as the opposite direction has become increasingly established worldwide in recent years, especially in patriarchal societies. Freedom, pluralism, peace, equality and democracy are finding it increasingly difficult to be seen as fundamental foundations of nation building.

Many states such as Libya, Iraq and Yemen have been unable to emerge from the maelstrom of a failed state for years and decades. And beacons of hope such as Tunisia, which adopted a constitution following the Arab Spring revolution and held the status of the only democratic country in the Arab world from 2014 to 2020, have reverted to autocracies. Others, such as Myanmar, which tried to establish democratic elements from 2011 to 2021, are now even under the rule of military dictatorships. Which makes this actually good news into bad news after all.

Good News of the Week:

I have never understood many things that happen in Israel. For example, why the ultra-Orthodox - 13% of the population - enjoy so many exceptions in a theoretically secular state, such as not being called up for compulsory military service. Or why a people that has suffered so much from radicalism in its history is increasingly voting for far-right parties. Or why anyone who criticizes Israeli policy is immediately and reflexively vilified as an anti-Semite.

Israel could always be sure of one thing, no matter what it was about: the support of the USA. Although the protection of Israel is the official reason of state in Germany, it is primarily the Americans who see themselves as the unwavering protector of the Israeli state. Automatically and unfortunately often without reflection. For example, in all previous military conflicts in the Middle East, in which Israel has violated international law on more than one occasion, or in the oppression of the Palestinian people, which can safely be described as apartheid, the US veto has always ensured that Israel has not been subject to a UN Security Council resolution. Until now.

An abstention by the USA was the first time that a (theoretically legally binding) UN resolution called for a ceasefire, serious peace efforts and protection of the civilian population in Gaza - 14 votes for, 1 abstention, 0 votes against. Side note: historically, most UN resolutions were not prevented by the Soviet Union/Russia or China, but by the USA. And Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted like an offended child. Among other things, by canceling the US visit of an Israeli delegation. Which was actually on a mission to ask for more weapons. In soccer, this is called an own goal. The media response was corresponding - even in Israel, whose enlightened population continues to take to the streets in their tens of thousands against the wannabe despot.

You can take whatever view you like on the proportionality of Israel's military response to the Hamas attack. But this behavior proves once again that Netanyahu is not a sovereign politician who serves the interests of his people without thinking of himself. He is a selfish, consultation-resistant, undemocratic power politician who pushes an autocratic agenda regardless of the consequences. In this respect, any behavior that reveals this character is fine with me. Because that makes his re-election less likely. Which would be good for peace in the Middle East. And for the world. Which makes this actually bad news into good news after all.

Personal happy moment of the week:

We rarely treat ourselves with dining out. And there's a work colleague whose company I really appreciate, but rarely see, as he works from the north of Germany. Last week, he was a guest in our little town, of all places, for a three-day training course. And as this is a very beautiful area, he brought the whole family with him. And we met them with our whole family in a long-established inn to spend an evening feasting and exchanging anecdotes. Lovely.

I couldn't care less...

...that once again - and once again completely unnecessarily - summertime has begun. The basic idea dates back to 1784, when Benjamin Franklin (of all people) saw it as a way of saving energy by using less electric lighting. Its complete uselessness has long been proven, and the impact on wildlife is enormous. Which in this case includes me.

It's fine with me...

...that "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud in the collapse of his cryptocurrency stock exchange FTX. First, because he commited fraud. Secondly, because I reject all forms of speculation and (trading) derivatives in principle. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but the real economy is probably called that because it's real.

As I write this...

...I listen to the typically melancholy piano music of Frederik Chopin. It goes perfectly with the cold and wet April weather, which started right on time today.

Post Scriptum

Hardly anyone outside Germany has ever heard of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research) from Munich. It is named after Joseph von Fraunhofer, a leading inventor in the field of optics, e.g. telescope construction - hence the inscription on his tombstone "Approximavit Sidera" (He brought us closer to the stars). The purpose of the association is applied research for the direct benefit and advantage of society. In other words, less theoretical basic research than concrete usability.

The results of the 30,000 or so people working there are certainly noticeable in everyday life: The MP3 audio format, white LEDs, High Definition Television (HDTV), airbags or RFID technology are just examples of the inventions we are all familiar with. The institution comes up with over 600 inventions every year. These are not - as is the case with an industrial patent - exclusively available to one manufacturer, but to everyone. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is now celebrating its 75th anniversary. Congratulations. And thank you.

[workersolidarity]

🇹🇷🇺🇲🇵🇸 🚨

TURKIYE'S PRESIDENT ERDOGAN SLAMS US VETO OF SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CEASEFIRE IN GAZA, CALLS FOR REFORM OF SECURITY COUNCIL

Turkiye's President, Racep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on Saturday, called for the reform of the United Nations Security Council, and said the United States was standing in the way of a ceasefire in Gaza.

Erdogan reiterated his call to reform the UN Security Council where yesterday the United States used it's permanent seat on the Council to veto a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip where nearly two months of incessant bombing has killed approximately 17'500 Palestinian civilians and injured another 46'000 since October 7th.

"Due to a veto by the US, no decision was reached. It is essential for the UN Security Council to be reformed,” the Turkish President said.

"We have lost our hope and expectation from the UN Security Council."

"Since Oct. 7, the UN Security Council, whose mission is to establish global peace, has turned into a protector of Israel," Erdogan said.

Israeli Occupation Forces resumed their heavy bombing and shelling of residential neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip on December 1st after a breakdown in negotiations failed to renew a short truce between the Israeli occupation and Hamas, which had taken effect beginning November 24th.

Erdogan further stressed that the Israeli occupation is committing atrocities and massacres inside Gaza that shame all of humanity with the full backing and support of the United States, and said that the "butchers of Gaza" must be held accountable "sooner or later".

Erdogan said that a fair world is possible, but not while the United States is siding with Israel, and added that the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights is being blatantly violated in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

#source

@WorkerSolidarityNews

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Turkish, Brazilian presidents discuss latest developments in Israel-Palestine conflict

No country should add fuel to fire, concrete steps must be taken regarding humanitarian aid, Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in phone call

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke by phone Tuesday on the latest developments in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

“The call addressed the conflicts that are becoming more and more violent between Israel and Palestine as well as steps aimed at ensuring calm,” Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said on X.

“Sharing with his Brazilian counterpart Türkiye’s offers of a solution for a lasting peace, President Erdogan said no country should add fuel to the fire and that concrete steps should be taken by all regarding humanitarian aid within the framework of human rights,” it added.

Sharing the details of his phone call with President Erdogan on X, Lula said: "We talked about the importance of a cease-fire, humanitarian aid and the need for food and medicine to enter across the border with Egypt."

Continue reading.

[dougielombax]

No you can’t deport 2 million (or any such number) people en masse and forbid them from ever returning home to their country!

In any context!

Whether it’s in Armenia (Artsakh), Palestine, Israel, Bosnia, Syria, Iraq, Kosovo, Sri Lanka, or anywhere else!

That’s despicable!

And you sure as hell cannot defend it either!

It’s a textbook example of the indefensible. As is genocide. And the denial or incitement thereof.

Putrid behaviour!

Putrid, spiteful, brutish savagery enabled by international inaction and spineless servility!

Be rid of it!

Starting yesterday!