On Wednesday, the Project on Middle East Democracy hosted a panel discussing Turkey’s increasingly important role on the world stage and the Arab world supporting democracy and the seemingly widening gap between Turkey’s international and domestic image as a democracy. The panel featured Executive Director of the Institute for Turkish Studies Dr. Sinan Ciddi, Assistant Professor at St. Lawrence University and Turkey Specialist Howard Eissenstat, and former ambassador to Turkey ...

Turkish police have reportedly arrested an estimated 109 people with suspected ties to Kurdish rebels as part of an ongoing campaign to investigate officials with ties to the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK). The KCK, a group that has been largely involved in cases defending the rights of Kurdish municipal workers, has been under investigation by Turkish authorities for their alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). The PKK has been labeled as ...

On Thursday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu discussing “Turkey’s Foreign Policy Objectives in a Changing World.” The event was moderated by John Hamare. For more on this event, continue reading below, or click here for the PDF   Foreign Minister Davutoğlu began his address explaining the “process view” of Turkish foreign policy. The “process view” takes into consideration the context ...

The Kellogg Institute for International Studies in association with the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies released a report, “Transitions to Democracy and the Arab Spring: Does Latin America Hold Lessons for the Middle East,” that examines how insights from Latin America’s democratization experience may be relevant for the Middle East today. The symposium was divided into two panels: the first explored the domestic challenges to democratization in Latin America ...

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called for an international coalition to be formed in order to stop Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s deadly crackdown from escalating any further. Davutoglu stressed that “clear and decisive statements” needed to be delivered to the Syrian regime from the broader international community. Davutoglu is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington to discuss alternative measures. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with ...

  Presidential candidate Governor Rick Perry claimed during the GOP debate that took place Monday, that Turkey "is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists." This statement was in response to Fox News correspondent Bret Baier's question concerning the increasing murder rate of women in Turkey, greater press restrictions, and alleged support of Hamas since an "Islamist-oriented party" came to power. Despite backlash from Turkish officials, the Perry campaign has refused to apologize. Perry's foreign ...

On Tuesday, the Middle East Institute Brookings Institution co-hosted an event entitled "Syria Under Growing International Pressure." Speakers included Murhaf Jouejati of the Middle East Institute and the National Defense University, Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Omer Taspinar of the Brookings Institution. Saban Center Senior Fellow Michael Doran moderated the discussion, while Kate Seelye provided an introduction. For full event notes, continue reading. Or, click ...

On Monday, the SETA Foundation hosted a discussion panel on Syria’s future and the potential role of Turkey in the conflict going forward. The panel discussion began with opening remarks by the moderator and panelists, followed by a question and answer session. Moderating the discussion panel was Kilic Kanat, non-resident fellow at the SETA Foundation. Panelists included, Helena Cobban, veteran journalist and Erol Cebeci, Exeutive Director of the SETA Foundation, ...

In al-Akhbar, Timur Goksel argues that "the much touted unilateral sanctions Turkey plans to impose on Syria are likely to be 'soft sanctions,' keeping the door open for a future rapprochement." Regardless of whether the sanctions are indeed "soft," "the latest remarks by Erdogan and his colleagues are signs that they have given up on the Assad regime." Goksel writes that Turkey will have to reconcile its plans for unilateral ...

Soner Cagaptay, Director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Center for Near East Policy, writes that a nation can either make friends or enemies with Turkey based on its appearance through the "PKK prism." Cagaptay asserts that "Turks judge the world" through the PKK prism: "aid Turkey against the PKK and you become its best friend. Allow perceptions of support for the PKK to build and you invite Turkey's ...