NM's blog

“Metin Cihan, a Turkish journalist exiled in Germany, has documented what a growing number of observers see as Turkish duplicity: all talk and no action , Turkey speaks out against Israel but without cutting trade ties. “Basically,’ explains Henri Barkey, emeritus professor of international relations at Lehigh University (Pennsylvania), ‘Israel and Turkey find themselves in similar situations in Syria. Both occupy a significant amount of Syrian territory. They face parallel security challenges: the Kurds for the Turks, and Hizbullah and other groups for Israel. Neither wants to see the Iranians return, even though that’s unlikely to happen.’ The weakening of Iran, a historic rival, suits Turkey.” The article is available in 9 languages. Socio-economic indicators and political prospects Türkiye's Gini Realities:  The top 20% of earners capture  48% of total national income , whereas the bottom 20% receive just 6.4%. The richest segment earns roughly  9 times more  tha...

“There is still significant uncertainty about who is calling the shots in Syria, and the most crucial information might take years to emerge. The following should therefore be read as an initial sketch of Turkey’s role in the events, subject to modification as new details come to light. But one thing is already certain at this early stage: though the balance of forces has shifted in Erdoğan’s favour for the time being, we can comfortably say that Erdoğanist fantasies about a Turkish imperial restructuring of the region are unfounded. “It is dubious that any real hegemon will emerge from this chaotic turn of events. Nor are we likely to see a free, democratic state or a conclusive partition.”  Indeed . Reactionary forces of different colours and shades are at play .

He is a bourgeois businessman and hypocrite, complicit in crimes against Kurdish, Palestinians and others. “Erdoğan is the quintessential demagogue — he issues challenging statements to the established order while maintaining the status quo. Erdoğan’s denouncements of Israel tend to coincide with periods of heightened violence. But once public outrage declines, it’s back to business as usual .”

Ottoman revival?