Biden’s Use of the G-Word Furthers Turkey’s Isolation

Burak Bekdil
June 1, 2021
Paper No. 2060

President Joe Biden’s use of the word “genocide” on Armenian Remembrance Day was not a game-changer in US-Turkish relations, which are plagued by more fundamental problems. But it enhances Turkey’s political isolation, weakens its arguments on whether a genocide did or did not occur in 1915-24, and further destabilizes whatever is left of Ankara’s soft power.

Turkey: How Not to Handle a Pandemic

Burak Bekdil
May 28, 2021
Paper No. 2054

Turkey’s official COVID-19 numbers reveal the government’s efforts to combat the pandemic as worthy of a commedia all’Italiana. As of mid-April, Turkey was the second-worst performer in the world, with 710.46 cases per million people. This is despite the country’s possession of a strong health infrastructure.

Turks May Be Rediscovering the Merits of the Secular Paradigm

Burak Bekdil
May 20, 2021
Paper No. 2038

The departure of some Turks from Erdoğan-style manifest Islamism based on visible piety instead of spiritual and moral piety probably means their departure from Erdoğan’s voter base.

Sisi’s Egypt Has the Upper Hand Over Erdoğan’s Turkey

The foreign policy of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a combination of imperialism and Muslim Brotherhood sentiment, was most visible in his moves against Abdel Fattah Sisi’s Egypt. Ankara is beginning to recognize its folly. Will the new US administration learn from its mistake?

Turkish, not Saudi, Schoolbooks Under Scrutiny

In a sign of the times, Turkish schoolbooks have replaced Saudi texts as the focus of criticism of supremacist and intolerant curricula in the Muslim world.

The Stunted Growth of the Emerging Islamic Bloc

Burak Bekdil
April 20, 2021
Paper No. 2002

The emerging Islamic bloc of three Muslim states—Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan—seems feasible in theory, but its growth is constrained by the realities. Azerbaijan is still more Russian turf than Turkish, and Pakistan remains Chinese territory. The new Islamic bloc resembles three kids playing cowboy while their parents smile and watch. The parents will stay on the sidelines only until such time as they sense danger to their interests.

The Rise and Rise of Turkish Drone Technology

Burak Bekdil
April 11, 2021
Paper No. 1992

Everything’s coming up roses for Turkey’s thriving drone industry, but a cash-strapped economy and technological challenges may slow further progress.

Quo Vadis Turkish Politics?

Turkey has never had a fully liberal democratic regime. The country, which suffered the authoritarianism of the Kemalist regime’s top-down attempts to modernize, is now experiencing a different form of authoritarian consolidation under the AKP-controlled government.

Jihadis Are Becoming Turkey’s Permanent Proxy Force

Burak Bekdil
March 31, 2021
Paper No. 1982

Turkey, a member of NATO, now effectively has a jihadi proxy force that it has deployed in its Syrian homeland as well as in faraway war theaters like Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The “Cougar Mystery” That Killed 40 Turkish Soldiers

Burak Bekdil
March 29, 2021
Paper No. 1980

The shady purchase of Cougar helicopters by the Turkish military was a 1990s-era controversy. An even bigger question than the terms of their purchase is how the Turkish military managed to lose 40 soldiers while operating them.