Politics, Identity, and ‘Golden Age’ Diplomacy in Turkey

Several pieces on Turkey this morning:

At CSIS, the director of the Turkey Project, Bulent Aliriza, reviews the past year in Turkish politics. He surveys and analyzes the year’s key trends and developments, including the AKP closure case and the ruling party’s ongoing attempt to straddle the line between traditional Turkish nationalism and religiosity.

Also, the Washington Times has a piece on how the Gaza crisis has provided Turkey yet another opportunity to bolster its diplomatic profile, in line with its recent “neo-Ottoman” reassertion in regional and global affairs.

Finally, a report in the CS Monitor notes that conservative Kurds in Turkey represent one of the country’s most important electoral swing votes. Kurds in the southeast have steadily supported the ruling AKP, eschewing the main Kurdish party, the nationalist-secularist DTP. In response, the DTP is looking to downplay its Marxist roots and bolster its conservative religious credentials to win back its constituency.