Turkey’s Demographics Defy Erdoğan’s Designs

Burak Bekdil
July 10, 2020
Paper No. 1636

Only 12% of Turks say they trust Islamic clerics, and more and more young Turks are unhappy at religious school. As high a proportion as 60.5% of pro-Erdoğan youths say they would rather live in Switzerland with half the salary they could have earned in Saudi Arabia. The fertility rate has fallen to 1.99—below the 2.1 rate required to sustain existing population figures. Despite Erdoğan’s unchallenged popularity, power, and authoritarian rule, Turkey is evolving demographically in a way that defies the dictates of Islamist social engineering.

Hamas Views Application of Sovereignty as a Potential Opportunity

Yaakov Lappin
July 9, 2020
Paper No. 1634

As Hamas weighs its response to the application of Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, it continues to raise a terror army, build up its rocket arsenal, and plot to increase its presence in the West Bank.

Sovereignty in the Face of International Pressure

At critical junctures a national leadership should be expected to uphold its country’s sovereign right to pursue its own vital interests, even in the face of heavy international pressure.

Palestinians See Major Threat in UAE Aid Shipment Via Israel

Dr. Edy Cohen
July 8, 2020
Paper No. 1631

Is the UAE beginning to open relations with Israel at the expense of the Palestinians? The PA thinks so, and is willing to deny its own people urgently needed humanitarian aid during a global health crisis to make their point.

Israel’s Self-Imposed “White Paper”

Israel’s National Outline Plan (NOP 35) has effectively frozen Jewish settlement in the Galilee and the Negev and spurred massive illegal building and land occupancy by the Negev’s Bedouin community. Without renewed Jewish settlement momentum in the land that is still available, the police and law enforcement agencies will be unable to alter this unlawful reality.

Is Yemen the Next Frontier for the Turkey-Russia Conflict?

Irina Tsukerman
July 7, 2020
Paper No. 1629

Turkey and Russia are embroiled in separate proxy conflicts on multiple fronts in Syria and Libya, but could be on a collision course in the complex political landscape of Yemen. This can be avoided if Turkey does not try for an aggressive Islamist takeover and respects Russia’s desire to share gas profits, exercise political influence with whatever factions end up dominating the sphere, and retain access to strategic waterways.

The Mysterious Explosions at Iran’s Nuclear Facilities

Three incidents, including two explosions at nuclear facilities, have shaken Iran in recent days. Were they connected? Were they caused by accidents or were they carried out by a foreign power? If the latter, were they executed via cyberattack? And what will be their domestic and international implications?

The Sovereignty Debate Has Changed Israeli Discourse

The moment the issue of extending Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and parts of the West Bank emerged, it took on a dynamic of its own. Not only did the opposing sides’ positions grow sharper and more polarized, but the way claims are being made—accompanied by fear-mongering and threats—has changed the dynamic of the internal Israeli debate on the Israeli-Palestinian problem.

Racism Is Recognized as Intrinsic to Western Societies. Why Isn’t Antisemitism?

Many understand that racism is an intrinsic part of Western societies. So is antisemitism, yet this is acknowledged by very few. Antisemitism was on display during mass demonstrations about the coronavirus pandemic and the problem of racism, but was scarcely remarked upon. There has also been an outpouring of new mutations of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories in the wake of the pandemic. As has occurred for millennia, western cultures are interweaving their antisemitism into issues of the day.

What’s in a Name? The Israeli-Palestinian Case

The Palestinian-Arab propaganda machine incessantly fuels aggressive anti-Israel campaigns. The PA’s public diplomacy is based on manipulation: it takes advantage of the ignorance and superficial historical knowledge of the rest of the world about the Israeli-Arab conflict to implant an invented history. The Jewish State may have committed a historic misjudgment by selecting the name “Israel,” as the choice has damaged the state’s strategic interests.

Perspectives Papers